The Easy Way & The Hard Way
by AmandaTheVampireLove
Summary: Jackson escaped when he was shot, and three months later he decides to come and give Lisa a little visit, with a specific intent in mind! JacksonXLisa NOW BEGINNING: The sequel to The Easy Way called The Hard Way obviously.
1. The Easy Way: Prologue

Top of Form

The Easy Way

AN: Somehow… somehow I knew it would happen. As soon as I saw the movie Red Eye, knew I had found yet another wonderful obsession. Jackson Rippner is a wonderful subject to focus a fan fiction. My only problem is at first… helping him to escape.

Prologue:

Jackson realized his mistake as soon as the bullet took him in the chest. He had forgotten about the father… Lisa had made him forget. Not that it mattered, since they hadn't exactly managed to take him out— it was just going to be his job to make them assume that they had.

He looked up at Lisa, willing his blue eyes to assume a drifting look. He worked his mouth, as if he were trying to speak, and then took a deep breath. He let his eyes close slowly, and held that breath, hoping that his assumptions would be correct and neither would check to see if he were indeed dead.

"Dad… I think that…" Lisa gulped, and Jackson puzzled at the tone of her voice. "I think that you killed him."

"Let me check for a pulse." No! Damn it all! If he checked for a pulse—

Suddenly a knock on the door sounded through the house. Lisa grabbed her father's arm. "It must be the police. Come on."

Perfect.

Though it hurt like all Hell, Jackson managed to get up and make it out the window. He heard the shouting, and just managed to make it to the house next door before the police came running around the corner. He was pulled quickly into the house.

"My God Jack! What happened?" Of course, they were prepared for something to go wrong. The neighbor's house had been cleared out, and they had stationed people in the house ten weeks earlier. No one suspected a thing… Jackson was lucky on this part. He was beginning to feel light headed.

"Shut up Luke, and call the doctor." Jackson managed to stumble into the bedroom and collapse onto the bed before he passed out.

XXxxXXxxXX

Lisa was in a bit of a panic. It had been three months since Jackson had disappeared. She had left her father to make statements to the police and went to check on the hotel. When she returned home, it was only to receive the news that her would-be killer had managed to escape.

She hadn't slept well since.

The police had checked the streets and cars, questioning the neighbors. No one had seen or heard anything. The only comfort that Lisa could take in the whole situation was that no one had been killed… yet.

She was lying in her room at her father's house. She had decided to stay with him for a while, since the whole incident had occurred. She could only hope that Jackson would just… disappear. But she didn't find that likely.

Her exhaustion was overwhelming, and she closed her eyes. Sleep sucked her down into black nothingness. Finally, a dream began to form. It was Jackson. He was standing over her, the red scarf held in his hand as if he were preparing to choke her with it. She struck out, but her hand just went through him. He laughed at her, and she jerked awake.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room. A small scream caught in her throat as they did.

Jackson Rippner was standing there. His blue eyes met hers. "Ah Lisa, I was beginning to think that you weren't going to wake up."

Lisa's mind couldn't seem to grasp the situation. "If you get near me, I swear, I'll scream." She didn't like that. Screaming wasn't going to stop him from killing her. Screaming probably wouldn't do her any good.

Jackson laughed, clucking his tongue at her. "Now, now… you wouldn't want anything bad to happen. Besides, who do you think will come and save you? Your neighbors? No, that wouldn't work…" He seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "Your daddy, perhaps?" He smiled again. "No, I don't think so. You see, I slipped something into his little nightcap." He gave a shrug. "A marching band playing through the halls wouldn't wake him up. Your screams certainly wouldn't do the trick." His eyes lit with devilish delight. "Perhaps the police. I'm sure you've seen their competency by now." He took another step towards her. Lisa drew up, pulling the sheets around her and trying to scoot towards the end of her bed. Perhaps she could find a weapon and…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Lis." He gestured towards the end of the bed. "If you want everyone to get out of this alive, I'd just be quiet for a moment and listen to what I have to say. I promise you, no one's getting hurt tonight unless you make it happen."

Lisa took a deep breath, steeling herself. She needed time… time to contemplate what to do, how to get out of this conversation. Her eyes focused on the round scar that now graced Jackson's throat.

"What do you want?"

Jackson smiled then. He tilted his head up slightly, letting his hair fall back from his eyes. "You Lisa. I want you." At her intake of breath, he laughed once. "It's just your decision how we go about this: The easy way… or the hard way."

XXxxXXxxXX

AN: Yeh… well, there you go. The Epilogue to my story. It's up to you all as to whether I go on with it! I had this posted up under on another name, but I've changed my mind about it, I want everything that I did on this name!

(Oy, trying to go back and kill some of the ellipsis. Hope this helps it a little!)

Amandathevampirelove


	2. Chapter 1: Don't You Remember?

The Easy Way

AN: Wow, I didn't expect this many reviews for this story! Thanks a lot people! I'll try to update at least once a week (More if I can manage) I have another story named 'Do That To You' that is also Red Eye based, if you'd like to go check that out! Anyway, now for the update!

Part 1:

"_You Lisa, I want you." _Lisa wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He wanted to kill her; he had to be talking about that! And the easy way or the hard way? What easy way was there to die? Was he giving her the option of how she died? If she had anything to do with it, she wouldn't be dying at all.

"What, no screaming? No fiery retort?" Jackson's eyes widened in mock shock. "Aren't you going to scream at me about how I can't do it?" His eyes suddenly darkened. "I've already told you Lisa, I never lie. I keep my promises, all of them." The way that he said that, it seemed as if she were supposed to derive something from it.

What was the last thing that he had promised her? 'We'll talk again.'… of course, she hadn't expected him to live when she shot him.

"So, we're talking." She spat it out, still trying to figure out how she could get to a weapon to fend him off. "Now what?"

He furrowed his brow, as if she said something for a moment that confused him. Then, a light seemed to come into his eyes, and he gave her a knowing smile. "Ah, Lis, that's not the promise that I was talking about."

She looked at him, confusion clear on her face. She even forgot for a moment to think of defending herself. "Then what are you talking about?"

He advanced on her, taking steps slowly as he spoke. Intimidation seemed to seep off of him. "Now, now… Think about it Lis. What was it that I told you on that plane? What do you think I said to you that would have made me come back now?" He stopped, standing directly in front of her. "Why am I here?" He seemed to be demanding an answer.

"I… ahh…" She looked around desperately. The flash from a large knife caught her eye. Jackson was twirling it in his hand with a smooth ease. "You're here to kill me." She stated it calmly, as if the prospect of death didn't bother her in the least bit.

Jackson's eyes actually widened for a moment, as if her answer were not the correct one. He took yet another step towards her, and the knife seemed to flash closer to her face. Her mind suddenly flashed back to the day that she had been raped. Her breathing became panicked, and she tried to clutch the covers closer to her.

"You're obviously not thinking of the same thing I am, are you Lis?" He smirked down at her, leaning in slightly. She fought the urge to close her eyes. Instead, she turned her gaze up to his, her eyes boring into his blue ones.

"What are you thinking of?" Jackson's eyes suddenly lowered to her scar, which she was holding her cover over. "Oh." He looked up at her, and a flash of some unknown emotion went through his eyes. "Do you honestly think—" He stopped in mid sentence, and he lowered his eyes for a moment. When they rose, that mocking look was back in place. "Don't you remember Lis?"

She commended herself. She was terrified, and her voice only wavered slightly. "Remember what Jackson. Stop playing games."

He sighed, "You, Lis, take all the fun out of life." He shrugged, and arched a brow. That smile that he seemed to flash at the strangest moments came alive. "I've come to steal you."

And suddenly she did remember. She had just made the call… "Pretty clear thinking given the circumstances. Let me guess, some stress management courses. Well, they're really paying off. When we get out of this, I may have to steal you." _Steal You. _Jackson was going to try to steal her!

She felt her head shake before she even finished with the memory. "No… oh no…"

Jackson nodded, realizing that she understood now. "Yes Lis. What, did you think that you could just forget all about me? Forget that we ever met? Oh no, you and I, we have unfinished business."

She shook her head again. "No, you can't just… steal someone!" She started groping the shelf behind her back, hoping to find anything… a pen! Perhaps she could find a pen…

Jackson looked at her for a moment, then at the shelf behind her, and her movements. In a flash, he was on her. He held he down to the bed, pinning her arms with both hands, and using the rest of his body to pin down her legs. The recollection of the parking lot once again flashed through her, and she couldn't stop the tears that suddenly came to her eyes. "Get off of me…"

Jackson stared down at her for a moment, but kept his position. However, if she wasn't mistaken, he shifted his lower body slightly, so that he wasn't pressed against her as much. She wondered if he had even realized that he had done it. She wondered if he actually cared that much.

He shifted her wrists so that he held them with one hand easily. He then proceeded to wipe the tears from her face. She stared up dumbly at him. He continued on as if he were doing nothing out of the ordinary. "Now then Lis, as I told you before. We can go about this the easy way, which is you come with me now, and there isn't any fuss… or we can go the hard way." He stopped with his gentle motion suddenly, clearing the last of the tears and looking down at her intensely. "I think that you and I both know exactly what that is."

Honestly, Lisa couldn't think straight at the moment. The man who she had been positive moments earlier was going to kill her actually had intentions of stealing her, and then doing God only knew what. Not only that, but he was gently wiping the tears from her eyes as if he were some kind of sweet person. What in the world was going on?

Jackson watched her silent face for a moment, and then smirked. "I knew that you were going to choose the hard way. That's just fine Lis; it's half the reason that I am here. You and your spunky little temper." He arched his brow slightly, and continued to smirk down at her. "Well then, I suppose that we have two options. I can either knock you out and take you to the car, or I can tie you up and carry you." He seemed to think for a moment. "The knocking out actually seems to me like the easier of the two, when you think about it. Tying people up can result in some major rope burns if you're not careful…" He was mocking her now. Jackson Rippner had more mood changes than anyone she had ever met. "With knocking out, you just take two aspirins and you're all better. Of course, you'd know about that, now wouldn't you?"

"Jackson, just… stop." She tried glaring up at him, but only managed to look slightly angry. She was still in the bad side of the situation. Maybe if he would get off of her, her whole outlook on the entire scenario would brighten.

"Stop what Lis, I'm only stating facts now. It's a fact, after all, that you are going to be coming with me, one way or another. You know it, and I know it, so why don't we just cut past these games and get to it? Shall we?"

Lisa shook her head. "No." He seemed to be contemplating how to best go about kidnapping her. He twisted around for a moment, and then used his free hand to pull a sheet loose from the bed.

"Not exactly what I would call a steady rope, but I think it will hold, don't you?" He shifted once more, so that he was in a raised position, and put the rope under her hands with one arm while still holding them with the other. "Now then, only someone who is rather practiced at this could actually manage a one handed tie." He smirked, as if he were being humorous. "So, we're going to have a little lesson now. First you—"

"Lisa!" Her father's voice rang through the house, and her heart suddenly picked up. Either this was going to be her salvation, or something awful. She was hoping…

His eyes flickered to her door, and then back to her face. He was suddenly pressed down on her again, his face extremely close to hers. "I'll be seeing you," He then did something that caught her extremely off guard. Quicker than a flash, his lips descended, pressing against hers in a quick kiss. "Really soon." And, before she could even manage to raise herself up, he was gone.

Her father entered the room while she still stood there, half dazed. "Lisa, are you okay?"

Lisa stared blankly at hi for a moment, and then shook her head. "Yes… Yeah, I'm okay."

But of course, she wasn't. Everything inside of her was spinning out of control, and she could only think of one thing. Jackson had kissed her! Jackson had kissed her, and he was going to come back to claim her soon. She couldn't let that happen… regardless as to what had just happened inside of her. It was just a stupid reaction anyway.

XXXxxXXXxx

AN: Well, yeah. Jackson will be back, of course. However, just to give you a hint… someone from Lisa's past is going to show himself. (If you don't know who, shame on you) What will Jackson do then?

Amandathevampirelove

IM ME Deathsrequiem07 on yahoo or AOL

And my email is deathsrequiem07 or deathsrequiem07 (there are spaces, obviously, so it will show up!)

Much love for the reviewers!


	3. Chapter 2: Red Memories

The Easy Way:

AN: Well, thanks once again for all of the reviews! It's so wonderful. And also, I wanted to tell you, Jackson isn't going to instantly turn into 'bunny happy spread the flowers' man. He IS Jackson, after all. But, he's not going to be a 'let's beat Lisa and tell her to suck it up' person either. He's going to be Jackson… There you go. Oh, and I also realize that you probably spell 'Lis' (as I have been spelling it) Leese… but I can't help it. I spell it Lis, and you understand it. I want to have a nice, long, update here. I hope that it wont be short (sometimes my updates are).

Part Two:

Lisa was experiencing a different kind fear then that that she had felt when she just had the 'suspicion' that Jackson was going to come after her. Now she knew that he was alive, and she knew what he wanted.

She had just never really expected that what he wanted would be her.

Of course, it wasn't as if that really meant anything… he could actually _want _her. That kiss hadn't been anything but a… tactic. Jackson played his game well, and he could possibly slip up enough to actually develop feelings for her.

And she, of course, couldn't possibly develop any type of feelings for him. He was, after all, the man who had terrorized her and tried to kill her father… feeling any type of emotion for him besides fear and hatred would be stupid.

Of course, the smart thing to do would be to go directly to the police. She had been about to call someone, when she realized that it might _not _be the smartest thing in the world. Jackson wasn't an idiot, and if she had to guess, she would assume that he would probably have taken some kind of precautions against her doing anything as stupid as that. He would probably pounce into the room the moment that she started to make the call, 12-inch KA-BAR in hand. He'd slit her throat and leave her there to die.

So, what was she supposed to do? Sit around and wait for him to come back? Arm herself and try to get the slip on him before he did on her? Jackson Rippner was a shadow, he was mist! If he didn't want to be found, you didn't find him. It wasn't like you could just look out the window and spy him standing there in a bright yellow windbreaker, waving insanely at you.

As soon as the thought entered her head, of course, she had to peek out the window to make sure. There was no car, and no Jackson. A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she pressed her back against the door, and a small sob escaped her lips.

Suddenly the phone rang. Her heart gave a violent wrench, and she looked at it apprehensively. If Jackson were on the line…

"Hello?" She answered weakly.

"Lisa?" Cynthia's voice came over the phone, and Lisa's knees nearly gave way beneath her with the relief that suddenly rushed through her body. "Lisa?" Cynthia's voice once again came through the phone.

"I'm sorry Cynthia." She said, though the relief that she was feeling washed through her voice. "I just…" She shook her head, and then asked. "What can I do for you?"

Cynthia gave a small laugh. "It's okay. I just, well… a package arrived for you here. I was wondering if you wanted me to have someone drop it off for you, or what?"

A package? She hadn't ordered… She was suddenly tempted to tell Cynthia to simply throw it away. Instead, she heard herself speak. "Just hold it for me, and I'll be there in a few minutes to pick it up." What was she thinking? If Jackson had indeed sent her a package… then…

"Okay, I'll see you in a few." Cynthia hung up before Lisa could change her mind.

Lisa stood there for a moment, until a buzzing sound emitted from the phone to tell her to hang up. She quickly put the receiver back into it's cradle and looked up at the ceiling. Tears that she would not allow to fall rushed into Lisa's eyes, and she was left with an awful feeling.

What would Jackson have sent her? What if it wasn't even from him, but instead someone else? Was she simply jumping at shadows, taking on the symptoms of any normally paranoid person?

It didn't matter, she wasn't going to allow Jackson to frighten her. She wasn't going to let him ruin her life.

She grabbed her purse, pulling her keys out with one hand. Securing her small bottle of Mace, and putting one of her favorite pens in easy access, she opened her door.

She half expected him to jump out at her right then, and try to take her completely off guard. Instead, it was a simple, sunny day outside. A normal day… yeah… right.

Lisa checked the back seats of her car before sliding in and locking the doors. She started the ignition, and backed out.

She made it to the hotel without anyone jumping from the shadows to whisk her away to never never land. With her hands securely gripping the pen inside of her purse, she made her way into the hotel.

Once again, no one jumped out. Nothing got her. Could it be that she had just dreamed Jackson's visit, and he wasn't really around after all?

She walked up to Cynthia, who was holding a small box out to her as she watched her approach. "A man dropped it off this morning, and told me it was very important that you opened it." She then handed Lisa a letter. "He told me to tell you to open the box before you read the letter."

Lisa's heart nearly skipped a beat. She nodded, and then took both letter and box with trembling hands. "I'm going to go back to the office and open it, okay?"

Cynthia nodded. "Okay."

Lisa made it back to the office and locked the door behind her. For a few long moments, she stared at the box, before she finally reach out with shaking hands to open it.

She pulled the tape slowly from the top, and folded back the flaps. Inside, layer after layer of paper blocked her from reaching the bottom of the box, and whatever laid there. She pulled the paper out slowly, until finally it was all gone. She braced herself and looked into the box.

She didn't know whether to scream or laugh.

She ripped open the letter, her eyes darting to the object once more. The letter read:

Lisa,

Just a reminder of our past… Not that you need reminding, after last night. I'll be seeing you really soon.

The letter wasn't signed, but then again, that was traceable, and Jackson was not stupid. She stared for a few more minutes before finally reaching her hand in and drawing the object contained in the box out.

The red scarf trailed between her hands, the slight bloodstain near the middle testimony to its last wearer.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: The person that I was talking about appears in the next chapter more than likely. Either that one, or the next (Sighs) ahh, so much to get done with this story! I hope you all enjoy Jackson's response to it anyway! I thought that the scarf thing was terribly brilliant of Jackson. I don't know exactly how long this story is going to be. Any preferences? Long or Short?

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed, and I'll try to have an update soon!

Review! And Lots of love to you!

Amandathevampirelove


	4. Chapter 3: All Of My Memories

The Easy Way

AN: Wow, more and more reviews. That makes me very happy! I'm really glad that everyone likes this! If you have any suggestions of what you want to happen, please feel free to tell me. I love suggestions! And, just a little bit of info… if there are mistakes in this, I'm SO sorry. I'm rather sick at the moment, so my wonderful typing capabilities aren't exactly up to par! Anyway, hope it doesn't affect the overall whooness of the story!

Part Three:

Lisa stood in the office with the scarf clutched tightly in her hands. When Cynthia finally came back there her knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping it.

"Lisa, what's wrong?" Alarm shot through Cynthia's voice. Lisa shook her head once, and then looked down at the scarf in her hands.

"Ahh, nothing." She said, hastily stuffing the scarf into her purse. "I was just… thinking."

Cynthia looked at the scarf that had been so quickly stuffed away, but she kept herself from asking about it. It was rather obvious that Lisa was not in the mood to speak about it at the moment… that didn't mean that she wasn't going to quiz her about it the first moment that seemed opportune.

XXXxxxXXX

Jackson, of course, had managed to stick around the hotel long enough to see Lisa's reaction. She walked out of the office, and her face was paler than usual. He was rather pleased with himself.

The scarf had been a reminder that he knew she wouldn't need. He was positive that she was spending every moment that she had during her spare time thinking about him and the new threat that he was imposing upon her. He wanted her to worry about him.

As she walked out of the hotel, he stood within five feet of her, shadowed at the corner of the building. He resisted the temptation to step out then and there; of course, he knew better. He had to wait until the moment was exactly right, and then he would take her. It had to be perfect.

She actually turned back to look at the shadows where he stood, and he saw the suspicion clear on her face. "Come on Lisa, come check it out." He murmured softly under his breath, his eyes lighting in anticipation.

However, after a moment, she simply turned and continued to walk towards her car.

With a slightly disappointed look, Jackson pushed himself from the shadows and made his way silently along.

XXXxxxXXX

Lisa was nearly to her car when it happened. A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she froze, immobile. A feeling of horror came over her, and her breath caught in her chest. There was something wrong about this… she was _too _terrified.

Whoever it was that held her was _not _Jackson. She didn't even know how she could tell; she hadn't turned around. There was just something inside of her that recognized the level of fear that was washing through her, and Jackson had never frightened her quiet this much.

Holding herself completely still, she spoke softly. "What do you want?"

She heard a chuckle, and suddenly her knees went weak. She knew the laugh… she had heard it two years ago… "Oh God… no…"

"Yes." She was spun around, coming face to face with the man who had raped her two years earlier. "Did you think that you'd never see me again?" She was pushed roughly against a car.

She struggled, lashing out at the man. "No! Get away!" She was shouting, but no one came to her rescue. Why didn't anyone in the hotel see her? Of course, she was blocked from view by her car… no one was going to see her. No one except… maybe… no, she couldn't escape one psycho by being rescued by another.

"Now then," the man pulled out a knife, pressing it against her collarbone, "I think you remember how this goes?"

Rationality quickly fled her. "Jackson!" She screamed it in pure terror, and the man sliced into her chest. It was exactly opposite to the side that he had cut before, and her body froze in complete terror. She couldn't even scream again. She just kept whispering Jackson's name over and over.

"Whoever this Jackson is, he isn't going to save you." The man in front of her growled, before he started pawing at her shirt. She once again gained mobility, and began to beat at the man once more.

"Are you so sure about that?" Lisa froze once more. The new voice was, of course, Jackson. It wasn't his appearance that shocked her however, it was the sheer fury that seemed to ooze from his voice. She suddenly remembered the bathroom scene…

'_Did someone do this to you?' _He had sounded… upset about it then. Now, he was watching as it happened all over again. She watched as his blue eyes trailed over her, stopping when they came to her chest. She looked down, and saw that her white shirt was stained down the front in bright red.

The man in front of her suddenly went into action. Lisa was spun around, and she felt a knife at her throat. "Whoever you are bud, I suggest that you just keep moving along. This isn't any of your business." The knife was pressed so closely to her throat that a small trickle of blood began to slowly slide down her neck. The pressure didn't ease off, but the cut was small… Lisa wasn't worried… yet.

Jackson's eyes hadn't left the blood since they had locked onto it. At the man's voice, they looked up. Lisa's heart nearly skipped a beat. The look in his eyes… it was frightening.

"That is where you're wrong. Whatever happens to Lisa, it's my business." He looked at the knife pressed against Lisa's throat, and the small trickle of blood that had made it down to her collarbone to merge with the other cut. His blue eyes were frosty. "You've been my business since the first time I watched Lisa touch the scar you gave her and cry."

The mans eyes widened slightly. He gripped his knife, keeping Lisa directly in front of him. "I swear man, I'll kill her if you get any closer."

Jackson stood completely immobile, his breath coming quicker and quicker as his fury seemed to consume him. Tears were silently flowing down Lisa's cheeks… She gave a small sob, and a gasp as the knife once again bit into her neck. That was it.

In a blur of motion, Jackson pulled a knife from a sheath concealed in his pocket. Before the man could react, Jackson threw the knife. It landed squarely in the shoulder of the arm that held the knife against Lisa's throat. Instantly, the knife was dropped, and the man gave a shout of pain.

Lisa scrambled away, moving behind Jackson. Jackson looked once at her, and then turned his attention back to the man.

"You son of a—" The man started, and Jackson pulled a gun from a side holster. He looked up at him in terror. "Come on man, I didn't do anything to you!"

Jackson shook his head. "Wrong again." He took a step towards him, and pressed the gun squarely against his chest.

"Hey man, wait just a second!" His voice turned into high-pitched terror. Jackson tilted his head, and his lips curved into a smile.

"You better make it good."

He looked at Jackson for a moment, opening his mouth to speak.

Jackson pulled the trigger. The gun only gave a small sound, wonderful silencer… The man's body instantly slumped down, shock and terror still apparent in the wide and staring eyes. Jackson looked down at it with disgust before turning to Lisa.

She was staring up with blank horror on her face. Jackson holstered the gun and walked over to her. He crouched down, "You need to get to a doctor Lis."

She stared up at him, and shook her head slowly. "You… you killed him."

He nodded once, throwing a disgusted look over his shoulder. "He deserved it."

"You…" Jackson looked closely at her. The paleness that had been on her face before was being replaced by an almost waxy look. "I thought that you were a lousy shot."

"Lisa…" Jackson started before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped over. Jackson caught her, swearing.

He couldn't take her to the hospital, not with the cops still looking for him. He couldn't just let her die, not when he had everything so perfectly planned out… Her death was definitely not part of the overall plan…

Quickly, he came up with a simple solution. With long strides, he carried her back into the hotel. He walked directly up to Cynthia, who stared at Lisa's limp body in horror.

"She was attacked in the parking lot. Call an ambulance." There was a hospital almost directly beside the Hotel; it wouldn't take more than a few minutes for them to get there. Jackson quickly fished the scarf from Lisa's purse, and pressed it to the cut on her chest. Cynthia quickly made the call, and then came back.

"What happened?" Cynthia asked after a few minutes of staring silently.

Jackson looked down at Lisa's limp form, and curse once more. "Keep pressure on this cut." He informed Cynthia, and then turned as he heard sirens. That was quicker than he thought. He needed to get out of there…

Of course, he wasn't just going to leave Lisa. He planned on following her to the hospital… he just didn't plan on doing it in handcuffs when he was recognized.

Cynthia stared at him blankly. With a growl of frustration, he grabbed her hands and pressed them against the scarf. "Pressure Cynthia!" He looked down at Lisa once more before spinning.

He made it out of site just as one of the paramedics made it into the hotel. They instantly put Lisa on a stretcher and carried her out. Jackson gave a short nod, and then sighed. He was going to have to dispose of the body before he could go and check on Lisa.

It wouldn't do for her to be put up on murder charges after he had just saved her.

XXXxxXXX

AN: Well, what do you think? Suggestions? Comments! Whoo hoo. Okay, sorry (It's about 2 in the morning, I'm just a little out of it from being sick.) I have vague ideas about how I want this to progress, but like I said before, ideas are welcome… and if you people want this to be a longer story, the more ideas the better!

Love to the reviewers!

Amandathevampirelove


	5. Chapter 4: Cuffed Gratitude

The Easy Way

AN: Heyah guys. I'm still sick, and I think I mixed some stupid pills that I was not supposed to mix (Stupid me…) So, I'm still slightly out of it. However, I thought I'd work on the next part to this. I'm really pleased with the reviews guys, thanks a whole lot and keep it up! Yes, so encouraging. I admit it, I love reviews. Reviews make me very happy! (Ah, it's one in the morning… and I just finished watching Red Eye with the director's commentary… They said that Jackson's character was largely based on the attraction he felt towards Lisa! Yay attraction…)

Part Four:

Lisa woke up in the hospital, and her eyes instantly flickered around for Jackson. Instead, there was a doctor and a police officer standing in the corner of the room and talking in hushed tones.

"Yes, it seems as though she was attacked." Lisa's eyes followed the conversation, and she watched to see the policeman's reaction.

"Is there any sign of the attacker?" Her breath caught in her throat as she listened.

"No." Jackson must have… disposed of the… body.

"Well, how did she manage to get inside?" Lisa was wondering this herself. Had Jackson actually taken her inside?

"The woman from the hotel," the doctor paused for a moment, as if he were trying to remember a name… "Cynthia… she said that a young man brought her in, told her about the attack, and then disappeared."

That sounded like Jackson all right.

"Well, the only thing that we can do in situations like this is—" The officer cut off as he noticed Lisa's eyes trained on him. The doctor turned instantly, and came over to check on Lisa.

"You've had stitches for the cut on your chest. There's nothing wrong with you Ms. Reisert, and the only reason that you passed out was from apparent shock. You should be able to leave as soon as you make a statement." He informed her instantly, while simultaneously checking her pulse. He seemed satisfied, because he wrote something on her chart and sat it down. He looked down kindly at her. "Are you feeling better?"

Lisa paused for a moment, actually allowing herself to feel. She felt… fine. A little lightheaded, yes, but she more confused than anything. Jackson hadn't stolen her, and he hadn't let her die. He had… saved her. He had rescued her from one of her worst nightmares and seemed to have been completely furious the entire time.

It took the officer three tries to actually get Lisa's attention. She turned to him in a jerky movement, apologizing.

"It's perfectly okay Ms. Reisert." The officer seemed to check his notes for something, and then gave the doctor a nod. "Is it alright with you if I ask you a few questions pertaining to the… ah, incident?"

Lisa took a deep breath, and then nodded.

"Thank you. So, could you please tell us what happened?"

Lisa sighed. That was more than just asking 'a few questions'. That was asking her to re-count the memory. "I went out to the parking lot after having picked up a package at work. A man came up behind me and held a knife to my throat." Lisa found herself stumbling over her story… sure, Jackson had killed the man… but she didn't want to get too many inquiries about the situation. "A… a man came up and pulled my attacker off of me. I scrambled away and blacked out." That wasn't necessarily a lie. She was just leaving out some of the more important parts…

"Did you get a good look at your attacker? The rescuer?"

Once more, Lisa was quickly placed into a situation where she had to decide on the spot as to whether it would be safer to tell the truth or lie. "The man who attacked me came up from behind. I didn't really get a look at him." If they found a body that matched the perfect description that she could give…

"And the man who rescued you?" Lisa looked down and put one hand over her face, as if to hide emotions. She _was _hiding emotions, just not the ones that the officer would assume she would have.

"I just heard his voice. After the man let me go, I tried to get to my car door. I didn't look back, and I passed out before I could even turn around."

The officer looked down at her seriously for a moment, and the nodded. It seemed as if he had actually bought the lie, which mean that Jackson _had _disposed of the body.

"We'll try our hardest to find the man who attacked you Ms. Reisert, but with the limited information, I'm not sure how much we'll be able to accomplish." It looked as if it pained the officer to admit it.

Lisa sat up in the bed, looking sincerely at him. "I'm happy enough with just being alive and in once piece."

The officer nodded. "You should be thankful to whoever your mystery rescuer is. If you ever see him again, I would suggest you buy him a drink."

Lisa could barley contain her laughter as the officer exited the room and the doctor made preparations for her release.

XXXxxxXXX

Jackson was sitting in a coffee shop directly across from the hospital. After dropping in and making sure that Lisa was going to be fine, he decided that it would be wisest to vacate the area. He realized exactly how smart of a decision that was when the police had showed up only moments later.

Now he was sipping coffee and watching the front doors where he knew Lisa would exit.

He had nearly finished a second cup before she finally made her way out. He gave a short laugh as she looked around almost blankly. Her father wasn't home, so he knew that she wouldn't have been able to get a hold of him. She was probably hoping that her car was here, and of course, it _was_. Jackson stood smoothly.

He approached her from behind, and easily slid one arm around her waist, and one over her mouth to hold in the automatic scream that emitted from her throat.

"Now, now Lis…" He started walking backwards, looking over his shoulder. "Just calm down, and I'll take my hand away from your mouth. Nothing is going to happen right now, I just want to talk."

Lisa gave a laugh that was muffled by his hand. She was more… prepared now. After what had happened in the parking lot, every ounce of fear that she could have felt for that day seemed to have dissipated. Besides, Jackson had saved her life… didn't she at least owe him a few words? The answer, of course, was no.

Jackson, however, refused to let the situation be removed from his control. He continued walking backwards, until he finally opened the door to Lisa's car… which he had taken from the parking lot. "Now then, you're going to get in, and you're going to listen to me." It sounded like such an order; Lisa instantly wanted to defy him.

She was walked to the other side of the car and pushed in. Then, she felt two cool metal circlets go over her hands. Handcuffs… Jackson had handcuffed her. He closed the door on her outraged look.

Jackson opened the driver's door and sat down, looking over at her. His blue eyes burned with mirth, and he looked at her. "A little insurance. Just to make sure that you don't go for any pens that you've stocked in the car." Lisa just glowered at him.

"What do you want?"

Jackson's eyes widened in mock innocence. "What, don't I get any thanks after I _risked _my life to save you?" She heard something deeper underlying his words, but she wasn't quiet bold enough to ask him what it was. Instead, she turned her head to look out the window.

She finally composed herself enough to turn back to him. "Thank you for saving my life… What do you want?"

Jackson's lips twitched. Lisa wasn't sure as to whether it was annoyance, or if Jackson was trying not to smile. Either way, she didn't want to be in the car with him.

"Like I said before Lis, I just want to talk. To have a little chit-chat while I drive you home, like any old friends would do."

She shook her hair out of her face. "We aren't old friends Jackson. We're enemies." He turned his gaze to her for a moment, then back to the road.

"It doesn't matter what we were Lisa," He didn't give her a chance to correct him on the 'were' part. "What matters is what's going to happen now."

She looked panicked. "I thought you said that nothing was going to happen."

"Calm down Lis," he said reassuringly. "Nothing is going to happen… yet. You see, I have perfect timing for theses things. It's one of the things that make me so invaluable to my employers. It's one of the reasons that I'm still alive right now."

Lisa looked at him once more. "Why _didn't _they kill you when you failed?" The question slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She didn't expect him to answer.

"When you're as good as I am at what I do, one slip up doesn't cost you your life. You simply eliminate the threats in the situation, cut your losses and move on."

"Eliminate the…" Something dawned on Lisa. "Am I a threat?"

Jackson laughed. "No Lisa you… you're a distraction. You're a personal vendetta that I've been given some free time to take care of."

Lisa was suddenly very, _very _tired. "What do you want Jackson?" She had asked the question before, but somehow the context of it was something completely different.

Jackson looked directly at her, his attention actually diverting from the road. "I've already told you Lis. You."

She opened her mouth to respond to him, but the car suddenly stopped. They were in front of her house. Jackson looked intensely at her for a moment, his eyes burning with the same emotion that had confused her in that moment on the plane when he had inquired about her scar. There was something held within them that she couldn't seem to let herself understand.

He leaned over suddenly, and for one wild moment, Lisa thought that he intended to kiss her. Instead, he unlocked the handcuffs, brushing her shoulder lightly as he pulled back. Their eyes met, and something flashed once more through Lisa. Jackson seemed to notice it as well, because he hesitated for a moment before he pulled back. He spoke his farewell warning with his face mere inches from hers.

"I'll see you soon, Lis." And he was suddenly gone from the car. Lisa heard another car start up, and watched as a black BMW streaked down the street to her right.

She got out of the car, and went inside, locking the door behind her. Her chest was aching, and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed. However, something had to be taken care of.

She wrote her father a short note, explaining herself. She then called the airline.

"Hello, yes. This is Lisa Reisert… what's the soonest flight that you have out of Miami?"

XXXxxxXXX

AN: And so, Lisa is doing a bit of running to try to loose Jackson. If any of you think that this will actually work, raise your hands… maybe Jackson will give you a cookie (Unlikely). Anyway, I have the next few chapters planned out, so I hope you all will enjoy them. I'm trying to update at least twice a week! I thought that Jackson handcuffing Lisa was just… funny. Maybe it was just my own sense of humor, but ah well. So yeah… please, review and leave your comments. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and can only make the story all the better. Course, positive comments fuel the soul!

Amandathevampirelove

IM ME ON YAHOO OR AOL under the name deathsrequiem07 obviously, you just add yahoo or to get my email. Love talking to ya!


	6. Chapter 5: Is This Seat Taken?

AN: Whoo, I was looking at the hits for this story, and there are like at least 300 on each chapter (the first has more, but –shrugs-) Anyhoo, that's like so great. That means that there are more people reading this than I thought (tsk tsk, you should review!) Heh, no, just playing. I'm just happy that you're reading regardless! Hope you like this update, it's setting up a bit of a plot twist…

However, now that I have the song So New… you blame my friend if Jackson suddenly bursts into song… I think I can contain the impulse… Oh, and I am also going to use one of my favorite quotes from the Red Eye RPG that I'm in. I don't know if I can fit it into the chapter, it may go into the next one, but darn it, I SHALL USE IT! It's my favorite 'Jackson is Oh so in character' Line.

Part 5:

Jackson wasn't stupid. He had rigged Lisa's phone during the _first _eight weeks that he started watching her, so he heard her try to 'sneak' and get a plane ticket... The fact that she was trying to run from him infuriated him.

How could she do that? He had expected for her to go to the police, or maybe face him head on… but run? No, that definitely wasn't the Lisa that he knew. Of course, she could have an ulterior motive to it all. He was just going to have to wait and see.

He was, of course, still triumphant in the whole situation. He was never going to let it get out of hand like it had that once… His hand reach up and touched his the small scar on his neck, and an angry growl emitted from his throat.

"Sir?" He looked up, giving the woman in front of him a smile.

"I'm sorry," He smiled politely, "Yes?"

She smiled at him, and he wanted to roll his eyes in disgust at the flirting tone that her voice took on. "Your ticket?" She offered it to him and he offered her his credit card in return. He didn't care about the price… it wasn't like he was paying for it, after all.

"Thank you." He said as she handed the card back. Ever-so-polite. He didn't want anyone to suspect exactly what was going on, after all. It was going to be pain enough avoiding Lisa until the opportune moment. He had a plan for that though; it seemed as if he had a plan for everything.

That could have been the reason that he had been a manager since the age of 17…

The woman once again looked up at him, her brown eyes sparkling. "I have a break in fifteen minutes, if you'd like some company until your flight leaves…"

Jackson had been looking down at his ticket. When she said this, however, his eyes snapped up. He heard her startled gasp as he walked away.

He did have to try not to show people his eyes at times when he was annoyed. The translucent blue orbs could hold all of the warmth of spring skies… but they could also harbor the coldness of November skies. The emptiness that he felt inside was one glance that he reserved for customers… and flirting airport ticket-sellers.

XXXxxxXXX

Lisa almost felt as if it were too easy. There was something inside of her that was screaming to her that running away wasn't exactly the best solution that there was to her… 'Jackson' problem.

Of course, Jackson wasn't really what she was running away from. She was… trying to protect the people that she cared about as well. Her father was gone for the weekend, but that didn't mean anything to the people that Jackson worked for.

There was always the possibility that Jackson didn't have the connections that he had once had, now that he had failed his mission. She remembered that he acted as if they would _both _be in major trouble if Keefe didn't meet his plotted and paid for demise. So who was to say that Jackson wasn't just using himself now?

She was really hoping that Jackson still didn't have his connections. It would make her plan so much easier.

The plan was a simple one. She was catching a plane to one of the northern states, where she was going to turn right around from the flight and have someone else purchase her a plan ticket to somewhere else. She was hoping that she would be able to shake Jackson in this manner. If he couldn't keep up with the flights that she got on, then she should have been able to outmaneuver him; she didn't know what she was going to do once she lost him. It was extremely apparent to her that she wasn't going to be able to return home— that was the obvious place to look for her.

She had called one of her friends in another state. Melissa had informed Lisa that she wasn't going to be using her apartment for at least two weeks, and that the spare key was under the small stone turtle. She could go and stay there for a little while. She doubted that Jackson would think to look for her in someone else's apartment, in a completely different state.

Still, she hated the thought of running; it just wasn't in her personality. She was just hoping that Jackson would be so distracted in trying to find her that he wouldn't think to use her family against her any more. She couldn't stand the thought of her father being threatened again.

As the boarded her flight, she gave a small sigh. _All coach, all the time… _She made her way back to her seat, pleased to see that the space beside her was unoccupied.

The plane wouldn't be lifting off for another good fifteen minutes. Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose, giving a small sigh. She was one of the first people on the plane… she stowed her things and got into her seat, looking out the window disdainfully. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, and suddenly felt the exhaustion that had been seeping through her since the night that Jackson had escaped wash over her once again.

She tried desperately to stay awake, she really did. In ten minutes, however, she was asleep…

XXXxxxXXX

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for choosing Straight Air, Airline. We ask you to buckle your seatbelts while we lift off. After the initial takeoff, the lights will flash to allow you to remove your seatbelts, and then you will be free to move about. Drinks will be served after this time. Please, enjoy your flight."

Lisa opened her eyes groggily, looking up at the speaker in front of her. She looked down, belittling herself silently for falling asleep, and tried to fasten her seatbelt. Her sleep-fogged brain refused to complete the task.

Her sleep, however, was quickly chased away when a smooth voice spoke. "Here, let me help you with that." She looked up in horror as Jackson leaned over and fastened her seat belt for her.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: I know that this part is just a little shorter than the others, but still… I should have the next chapter up rather soon, and then Jackson is going to explain his evil diabolical plot to keep Lisa quiet during the flight. Ahh, and with the whole vagueness of where Lisa was flying to… I'm sorry. I am not sure what state I want to use. I'm debating Kentucky, because… not only do I know about it wonderfull (Ahem, I live here… duh…) But also, who would think to look here… It's boring.

Thank you everyone for reviewing, and if there's something that you wanna see, don't hesitate to tell me… oh, and whoever it was that suggest that Jackson want her for a partner, and Lisa get framed for a crime… Heh, if I do the sequel that I am very vaguely thinking about… that will come into factor!

Love for the reviewers!

Amandathevmapirelove


	7. Chapter 6: You Won't Enjoy It

AN: Whoo hoo! I have Drivers Ed in the library right? And I was sitting in there, and I refreshed my stat page… the hits on this fic honestly just kept increasing, and I could literally sit there and watch them! I'm so thrilled that people like this! Anyway, I was also doing the wonderful bit of tuning out my Chem teacher today, and I plotted out this whole story for an hour and a half. There is exactly:

The Prologue, 29 Chapters, The Epilogue…

Too long, too short? Opinions! (I am randomly singing So New. It's 1 in the morning… the house is rather quiet. I just know I'm going to wake my brother up…)

Part 6:

Lisa was honestly in shock for a few moments. She had bought an airline ticket… and gotten onto a plane… Jackson was sitting beside her. Wasn't there some rule against this? Cosmic justice?

"It's a strange sense of de-ja-vu, isn't it?" Jackson said, his 'polite and friendly' smile securely in place. "A lot of things are the same Lis," He continued on, as if he were having a normal conversation, and the person to whom he was speaking wasn't about to bash his head into the seat in front of him. "Of course, a lot of things are different too. This is a whole new game Lis, and I intend to win this time." The menacing tone suddenly crept into his voice, and his eyes seemed to void out slightly.

She looked over at him. "You call this a game, stalking and killing people?" She sounded disgusted. Jackson's smile reminded her of the one that he had given her when she had told him how pathetic he was… slightly forced.

Of course, he had tossed her down a staircase after she had made him smile like this the last time…

"Well Lis, it doesn't really matter does it? We're on a plane, we're flying to…" He checked his ticket… "Boston." He shrugged. "What's in Boston, Lis?"

She looked flatly at him, and then twisted her head to look for a flight attendant. As far as she was concerned, he hadn't threatened her and she hadn't left him time to have anyone threaten her father. Her hand was groping for the button to call the attendant over, when Jackson's suddenly dropped on top of it. She looked down at his hand covering hers before she jerked it away. She looked up at him, anger and fury seething in her eyes.

"What, isn't it time for the threats now _Jack?_" She regretted the taunt as soon as it left her lips.

"Yes it is, isn't it?" He shrugged her angry look off as if it didn't faze him in the least. It probably didn't. "You know, this just keeps getting more and more uncanny." He gave a friendly laugh, still playing the part of the surprised friend. "I remember saying something exactly like this before…" Once again, seriousness seeped through the jovial tone; "If you tell the flight attendant anything… your father dies."

Lisa's world seemed to freeze for a moment. "What… what did you say?"

Jackson shook his head. "Now I _know _we've been through his before. You heard me Lis, did you think that you could just run away from me without any type of repercussions? Did you honestly think that I would just say 'Oh well' and give up?" He tsked softly at her. "Lisa, Lisa. I thought that you would have guessed me better than that." He shrugged softly.

"How?" It seemed to be all that she could get herself to say. He had _failed _his last mission, and suddenly people were working with him again? Why?

He sat back casually, amused that Lisa wasn't even aware that the flight had already began and they were halfway through the take-off turbulence. "Well, that's actually an interesting story. You see," he smirked haughtily, "When you're as invaluable as I am, one slip up because of a loose cannon doesn't merit as much repercussion as you would think. The problem was simply solved; The Keefes didn't die, so we had to take care of the people who wanted them… disposed of, before they took it into their thoughts to do anything brash." He shrugged, as if talking about turning around and assassinating one of their customers didn't bother him in the least. The way that he spoke, the company had done it more than once. "You get three chances in my line of work. I've only had one slip up and more than enough successful jobs to my credit that they didn't take too serious of a disciplinary action towards me." He thought for a moment about mentioning the fact that being shot twice and stabbed in the leg with a heel… not to mention the pen incident had been plenty enough punishment.

"So what, they just said 'Poor Jackson' and forgave you." Lisa snorted. "Some company." She rolled her eyes. "I suppose that they gave you people to threaten my dad with as a consolation prize?"

Jackson turned his head to look at her. "No, that's a different story completely. You see, in your line of work you get vacation time. The longer you stay on, the more vacation time you accumulate." She wanted to slap him for the tone that his voice took on. Just one friend explaining his job to another…

"This part is interesting really, and no one seems to think about it too much." He sat forward, as if he thought she was actually finding this interesting. "In my line of work, the more successful jobs you complete, the better you work, the more _favors _you accrue. I have three a year." He gave a small shrug and held up one finger. "The first one was for a little… personal time to finish my business with you." That didn't sound very good. "The second was used for the surveillance of your house and the assurance that I would have the means necessary to guarantee that you didn't get out of hand, hence the threat on your fathers life."

"You're… horrible." She finally managed to stammer out to him. She saw anger flash through his eyes momentarily, before the smooth smile once again took place.

"Regardless as to what I am, it seems to me that you're stuck on a flight with me. It's just like old times Lis." He was taunting her now. "And you aren't going to tell the flight attendant, now are you. You see, this time… if I don't call and check in at designated times, or if they hear that something happened that wasn't supposed to happen," he made a slicing motion with his hand. "You're fathers going to pay for it."

She stared at him for a moment, proud of herself for maintaining the tears that were dangerously close to surfacing.

"Why are you doing this!" She finally said, whispering in fury. He gave a small laugh, and sighed.

"Lis, I thought you were smarter than that. I've already told you twice now. _You. _I'm doing this because of _you._" He smiled charmingly at her…

"Fine." She finally said, turning her head away from him to look out the window.

"Excuse me?" Jackson said, not believing that Lisa was just going to… fold like this.

"I said fine _Jack." _She turned her head to look at him, and he saw the sheer determination and fury burning in her eyes. "You win, I'm on the flight with you," He arched one brow at her, wondering at this new turn in her emotions.

"Good."

She gave a short laugh. "I'm on the flight with you, but you _wont _enjoy it."

Jackson turned to look at her, some emotion unknown to her filling his eyes. "Oh Lis, I think I will."

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Gosh, I'm not at all happy with this chapter! Sorry that that was so boring guys, but the information that I just gave you had to be given for the story to go on! I hope that you can forgive the boringness (insert sob here). Anyway, I tried to do a little interesting at the end, please tell me that you didn't hate it all that much!

Also, they're just going to be on the plane next time, so if you people wanna make suggestions as to what you want to see happen, I'll try to pick a few of them and make it work! (It'll be fun!). Also, I'd like to give a big shout out to my friend/consultant. Heh, you know who you are!

Love to the Reviewers!

Amandathevampirelove

My AOL IM: deathsrequiem07

My Yahoo IM: deathsrequiem07 (How monotonous )


	8. Chapter 7: De Ja Bathroom

The Easy Way

AN: Hey guys, sorry that I didn't update yesterday like I should have. I didn't even get a chance to write it, 'cause I was babysitting (Which I did from 10 a.m. to about 11 p.m., oh, the horror of only getting paid $2 an hour). I have 26 dollars, plus my other 10. Ha, I just spent about 16 of it on the movie Disco Pigs though. Whoo hoo! Okay, anyway. This chapter is the wonderful 'Thing' that is going to happen on the plane. This was brought around by request, thankfully more than one person. Popular vote wins! Hope you enjoy it! And thank you once more to EVERYONE who reviewed for the last chapter. I hate writing fillers with no point other than having to give you vital information! I'm glad that you didn't hate it. (For some reason, this chapter just isn't coming to me)

Part 7:

Lisa had managed to completely ignore Jackson for the first hour of their flight. The only problem was… she couldn't stand to sit there beside him. Her whole body was warm, and she wanted to scream and hit him. It was extremely childish, she knew that; it was the only reason that Jackson was saved from an extreme beating.

She had been formulating an idea, but she wasn't exactly positive as to whether it would work or not. She just needed a few moments to herself to clear her head and get herself under control. If worse came to worse, she could always threaten Jackson with her feelings. He didn't seem to be a very emotional person, so she doubted that he could handle them well.

She leaned her head against the seat with a sigh, and then turned to look at Jackson. He seemed to _feel _her eyes on him, because he turned his head immediately. "What?"

She opened her mouth, actually contemplating what it was that she was going to say to him. She saw the impatience in his eyes growing, and quickly blurted out her request. "I need to go to the bathroom!"

He looked at her for a moment, an incredulous smile curling his lips. "Do you think I'm stupid Lis?"

She looked at him, and couldn't help herself. "Do you honestly want me to answer that?" She saw the anger set into his eyes.

"That's not the way to get what you want Lis." She put her hands on her seatbelt and started to unfasten it. Jackson's hand shot out, gripping hers. "I don't think so Lis. I remember what happened last time."

She arched her brow innocently at him, looking down at his hand on top of hers. "I remember exactly what happened last time. You slammed me against a wall." She looked up at him, and felt his hand release hers.

"Fine." It shocked her when he said it. She grabbed for her purse, and was even more surprised when he allowed her to take it.

She had won, but there was something in his smile that told her she wasn't going to like it. He looked back and forth for a moment, then smirked and unbuckled his seat, stepping out of her way so that she could walk to the bathroom. She stood up straight, walking away without a second glance back, even though she _felt _him staring at her.

Because she didn't look back, it was a complete shock when she was suddenly _shoved _into the bathroom. She turned around, prepared to knock someone down… only to see Jackson smirking down at her. "You have to go…" His blue eyes widened, and he gave her a pleasant smile. "Do you want me to turn my back?"

She stared indignantly at him. "You actually expect me to use the bathroom while you're in here?"

He shrugged. "When you gotta go," he winked, "You gotta go." His face suddenly sobered. "So do it."

She stared at him for another moment, and then looked at the phone on his waist. Perhaps… "Fine, but turn your back like you said you would."

He looked at her for a moment, but smirked as if he were just humoring a child. "Fine." He crossed his arms and turned his back. "You better hurry Lis, or they'll think we're actually doing something in here."

Her face blushed crimson, but she quickly got to work. She looked through her purse, and soon enough found what she was looking for. It was a knife that she had taken to carrying since the incident in the parking lot. She flipped the blade out silently and thought about it. If she could get him to make a call with a blade to his throat… then she could get off of the plane and warn her father. As far as plans went, it was an awful and brash one, but she didn't have any other options. She wasn't even sure if her father was alive, or if he was even being surveillance.

She took a step towards him, bringing the blade up.

Luck, however, didn't seem to be with Lisa Reisert.

"Time to go." Jackson turned around, his eyes flared wide as they took in the scene in front of him. With an angry snarl, he quickly reversed the situation. Lisa didn't have time to react in any way as she was slammed once more against the wall.

"Do you think that I was just playing about the consequences? Did you think that you could just off me and pretend that it never happened." He grabbed her wrist, slamming her hand roughly against the wall. Finally, she dropped the knife. He picked it up with ease, and held it up. "Do you think that I'm not serious?"

She looked up at him, fear apparent in her eyes. This was just like the last bathroom scene, except this time, she didn't have anything to lie to him about. "No."

"What was that Lisa?" He said, examining the knife before putting it lightly to her cheek. "I didn't hear you."

"No, Jackson." Her heart was beating wildly, and she was torn between screaming in anger and crying from fear.

"Maybe you need a little proof that I'm not playing, hmm Lisa?" The pressure of the knife seemed to increase, not drawing blood, but letting her know that it was there. "Is that what you need, some proof?"

Lisa reacted before she even thought about it. Her hand flew up, grabbing his wrist and pulling the knife back… and she darted forward. It was the only thing that she could think of that would shock him into stopping.

Lisa Reisert kissed Jackson Rippner.

It started as nothing more than lips mashing against lips, a simple duty— however, Jackson quickly took control. The knife in his hand wasn't forgotten, it was simply maneuvered out of the way. His hands moved from her shoulder to her lower back in a smooth movement. Lisa felt his lips move against hers, and for a moment she forgot that she was just pretending.

Kissing Jackson was unlike anything that she had expected it to be. She had expected cool efficiency from him; only distracted long enough for her to move her way out of the position that she was in. She hadn't expected for him to kiss her back.

He seemed to move her hands where _he _wanted them. The hand that had grabbed his was now resting against his shoulder, and the other was captured between their bodies, pressed lightly against his chest. The harshness of the kiss was still there, but now there was something behind it. Fire seemed to flow between their lips, and Lisa was drowning in it. It was almost like a bid for dominance between them; Jackson won however, when he managed to part her lips and his tongue invaded her mouth. The sensation of that brought weakness to Lisa's knees that she was **not **supposed to feel with a man who was threatening to kill her father. There was a passion awakening inside of her that she hadn't felt since…

As soon as she realized exactly how _wrong _what she was feeling for Jackson was, she tried to push back. His hands seemed to grip her to him like steel, and she had to use the hand pressed against his chest to pull them apart. "Jackson, I—"

For a moment only, his blue eyes were flooded with the fire that their kiss had ignited. Seeing the expression on Lisa's face inspired him to get his emotions under control. He pushed back even further from her, straightening his jacket and looked at her coolly. "That was good Lisa, even I'll admit it."

"Jackson—"

"Oh no Lis, don't even start. I'm even allowing you to think that you won this one. Nice manipulation." The knife was suddenly at her throat once more, and his body pressed against hers. "I'm only going to tell you this once, because you should already know it. I don't like being played with Lisa, and manipulation will only make things worse for you." The knife was suddenly removed, and she saw his hand dart out, taking her purse.

The calmness that essentially _was _Jackson became a cool mask that hardened over his face. "We're going to go back to our seats now Lis, and when we land," Maliciousness lit his eyes. "You better hope that I remember the number to call to make sure that _Daddy _is okay." He opened the door, and when he stepped out, an extremely charming and convincible smile was across his face. "Come on babe, let's get back before they suspect anything." He winked at her, and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to their seats.

Lisa was in entirely too much shock from the whole situation to take any offense.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Wow… I can see Jackson taking control like that! Whoo! Okay, well there you go. I love you reviewers, and stuff like that! V-Day sucks, no one loves me (Sobs) Anyway, thank you people soooooooo much, you're wonderfully inspiring.

MUCH LOVE!

Amandathevampirelove


	9. Chapter 8: Another Flight To Catch

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys, and sorry that I once again didn't update yesterday! (I still haven't gotten Disco Pigs yet… waiting, waiting). Anyway, I have a question: My friend and I have an RPG, and it's about 90 pages so far (Around 30,000 words), and it's not finished yet, but we RP every night. Anyway, it's Jackson/Original Character. The people who have read it like it, so I was wondering if you'd like for us to post it? Just a question!

Oh, and also, the whole 'getting the knife onto a plane deal'… I've never in my life been on a plane, so I have no idea what in the world goes on. I didn't know if they allowed you to have like Swiss army knives or not. Sorry if I messed up on that part, if it makes you feel any better, pretend she was brandishing a rather sharp nail file at him (now that' a funny vision).

Part 8:

Lisa couldn't seem to find her voice for quiet a while after the 'bathroom incident'. She was just in shock; the last time that she had been in the bathroom with Jackson, he had nearly choked her. What in the world has possessed her to kiss him?

Jackson, however, did not seem to be cowed by the situation whatsoever. He _did _seem to realize that he needed to give Lisa a few moments to gather herself, less she do something extremely stupid. He had already made it very clear that he was determined, not suicidal.

Lisa, of course, was just waiting for him to say something. She just knew that he was going to insult her, goad her, and try to push her into losing the control that she was barely maintaining to begin with. She didn't even know how much longer she would be on the flight… she wanted to go, because she was hoping that she could find some way to escape during their departure. She could wait until Jackson made his little 'check in' call and then at least try to do something. If she could manage to somehow knock him out… there was a chance that she could get far enough away to call her father and warn him and then escape herself.

Then again, she didn't even know if they were going to stay in Boston once they arrived.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him where it was that they were going to, when he spoke for himself.

"So, Lis, do you have anything else planned?" he hadn't moved his body, just rolled his head on his shoulders to look over at her. He looked charming and sincere— Lisa wanted to slap him. That look, that… 'Oh, I'm so sincere' charming look bothered her more than anything he could do.

"How do you do it?" She finally asked. Jackson seemed to be taken aback slightly by the question. It wasn't what he had expected.

"How do I do what Lisa?" Of course he was taking the question seriously. He hadn't called her Lis.

"How do you sit there and look so charming when I know that inside you're a heartless… heartless…" She couldn't even think of a word good enough to describe what she thought of him.

He seemed to find her question amusing. "It's flattering that you think I'm charming Lisa," He smirked at her, the sincerity never leaving his eyes.

"At this time we would like to thank you once again for choosing Straight Air, Airline. We ask that you exit the plane in an orderly manner."

Lisa hadn't even realized that the plane hand landed. She was rather slow today, and she berated herself for it. She needed to be at the top of the game; she needed to pay attention, because she was only going to get the chance to escape once.

Jackson looked over at her, a smile spreading across his face. "Now then, we're going to do exactly what the flight attendant said and exit the plane in an orderly manner. You're then going to follow me, and you're going to do exactly as I say, right?" The smile faded off of his face, and all emotion seemed to fade from his eyes for a moment. The seriousness that was in his eyes made Lisa agree.

"Yes."

He looked slightly surprised at her response. "I swear Lisa, sometimes you confuse me. One minute you're extremely willful," he stood, taking her arm and leading her along. It was obvious that he wasn't taking the chance of her doing anything stupid… like stabbing him with a pen. He continued on as if she were faring about his conversation. "And sometimes you just roll over and play dead. I don't get it Lis." He remained silent until they made it out into the main building. He turned to look at her, and his eyes seemed to be… searching. "You're one of the only things that I don't understand."

She looked at him, then around the room. He needed to make the call before she could do anything to get away. The look in his eyes… she was just going to ignore it. She couldn't believe anything that Jackson did or said. He was manipulation on wheels, and she wasn't buying into it.

He stood for a moment, as if he were waiting for a response, and then turned his eyes away from her. He grabbed his cell, and her heart began to thunder in her chest. This was it, that was her—

Her heart dropped into her stomach as he looked at the face of the phone for a moment, and then put it back.

"Now then, we have another flight to catch. Once we're on the plane and in the air, I'll make the call that you're wanting me to make." Lisa had forgotten exactly how perceptive Jackson was. "Oh yes, I can tell that you're planning something stupid Lis. I'm just going to save you, me, and your father the pain and crush your hopes now." 

"Jackson, wait!" But he was already pulling her along. Before she could think of any way to avoid it, they were on yet another plane. She hadn't even managed to catch where this one was flying.

"What, do you think that you can just drag me around all across the country and not tell me where we're going?" Indignation was finally laced through her voice, and she turned furious eyes to him. "I'm not a plaything!"

He looked at her, and the amusement that crept though his eyes made her want to hit him. "At the moment Lisa, that's exactly what you are. I expect that you'll let me drag you anywhere that I want, and I don't owe you any kind of an explanation because I'm the one in charge here, and I'm the one who knows what's going on. You don't." The seriousness laced in his voice was nearly frightening to Lisa.

Because she was frightened, she did something extremely stupid. She struck out at Jackson, slapping him across the face. She seemed to be taken aback herself by her own actions.

Jackson looked shocked himself, and she saw the anger wash through his eyes before he tilted his head slightly. "Fine Lisa, if you want to play it that way." She knew what was going to happen before it did, but she couldn't seem to move herself in time to avoid it when Jackson brought his hand up and slammed her head against the side of the plane, successfully knocking her out.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Well guys, there's the update. Jackson is taking her to a mysterious place on a new plane. There is only going to be one more chapter with the planes involved at all. By the next chapter, they will be to Jackson's destination. Be joyed and all of that shizz! And if there are any spelling mistakes, I am sorry, but I'm typing this with like… one and a half hands, heh. My poor arm right hand is wrapped up!

Whoo hoo. Okay, sorry it took me so long to get this up (though I did kinda fall down and I now have my wrist wrapped up.  I love ice.

IM ME ON AOL OR YAHOO: deathsrequiem07 and just add the 'at yahoo or aol' at the end!


	10. Chapter 9: Posessive Memories

AN: Did you guys like the last chapter okay? Sorry about it… Anyhoo! I just watched Disco Pigs. Wonderful movie, sobbed my eyes out.

And sorry, but when I said we were about to get off of the plane, I kinda fibbed. There is this chapter, which is complete and utter Jacksonness! Then the next chapter, and then the chapter after that, they get off of the plane. Sorry for the fib! But Jacksonness is wonderful, yes? Heh, you know what one of my fav parts in the movie is? Where Lisa asks him what he does, and he says "Government overthrows…" And right there, when he says government, you can hear his accent. Wasn't that part just adorable?ssssssss

Sorry for the delay! I was going to put this up after I watched Disco Pigs, but due to some trouble with the computer, I could not transfer it off of my laptop and onto the Internet connected desktop! Sorry it's a day late! Heh, and if you pay attention in this chapter, there _are _hints about future transpirations (Hmm, is that the correct word to use there?)

Part Nine:

Jackson laid Lisa over carefully after knocking her out; he was beginning to wonder how many times he was going to be able to do this before he caused some type of brain damage… he was going to have to calm down with this method of silencing her.

Still, it was better than that look of loathing and hatred that had been pouring from her eyes. Righteous indignation was perfectly suiting for Lisa Reisert. It was one of the reasons that he had taken her like this. Of course, there were others… but she couldn't know about those. No one could know about those, or Lisa would be in danger— even more so than she already was.

No, he wasn't going to dwell upon that at all. The only thing that he was going to think about right now was the woman sleeping next to him. She was his only concern and his only priority. Jackson Rippner was a man who took his priorities very seriously, and this situation was only a little different.

Lisa gave a moan, and her eyes flickered behind her closed lids. Jackson focused on her face for a moment before shrugging and setting back into his seat.

The only thing left to think about now was his plan, and how he could execute it perfectly. Jackson was a bit of a perfectionist, in every sense of the word. A job done incorrectly could cost lives and money. Both assets were extremely vital in his line of business— He had enough money that it didn't matter… but there were only two lives on this job that he was going to even bother to protect. His own, which he had always had to watch for since he was ten years old, and the life of the person sitting beside him. He had taken on the responsibility of her life, so it was his to protect. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure that Lisa would agree with that bit of information; that could have easily been the reason why he wasn't informing her of that or anything else that was important at the moment.

He hadn't taken any personal time in such a long while that he was almost hesitant as to how to go about it. He knew exactly what he was going to do once they landed, yes… but there was always room for mistakes. He had learned that factor the _last _time he had been around Lisa. This time was going to be extremely different. This time, he was in control and he didn't plan on letting the situation leave his control at any point throughout the whole affair. It had been because of his inattentiveness and his inability to keep his emotions in check that had caused his downfall last time. Yes, he remembered it well:

XXOkay, Jackson flashbackXX

"It happened in a parking lot, the scar. Two years ago…" When Lisa began talking, Jackson turned his attention towards her. When she mentioned the scar, his interest was instantly peaked.

"In the middle of the day. He held a knife to my throat… the whole time." Jackson's mouth actually dropped open for a moment. His earlier assumptions were true then… someone had _raped _Lisa. He couldn't even begin to imagine the woman who sat before him in a situation like that. The cold anger that could build inside of him washed through him at that moment. It only took him once second to contain it, but even that one moment had been enough.

"Every since, I've been trying to convince myself of one thing over and over." Lisa's voice, the cool strength that was riddled with the pain of the whole experience… it made him want to offer her comfort in some small way.

"That it was beyond your control." _You couldn't have stopped it. But maybe, had I been there, I could have. _He had always been one to wonder how **_he _**could have made a situation better. If he had been there that day…

"No, that it would never happen again." The pain in her voice made Jackson was to kill the bastard who had done it to her. But, he was pleased with the undercurrent of strength. Strength was always a good thing. Still, if he ever ran into the man…

Lost in his own contemplative thoughts, he looked up when the seatbelt sign flashed…

XXEnd Jackson flashback (And people, his mouth really does drop open!)XX

In that one moment, when he had allowed his feelings and concerns to override his senses, he had lost control of the situation. As soon as he had done that, Lisa had found her way past his defenses and gotten the better of him.

The situation had still been salvageable at that moment. He could have simply allowed her to escape, gotten to a phone, and made a call to his men.

Instead, he had allowed the whole even to become a personal vendetta, and had broken one of the number one rules: Never make it personal. Jackson had made it as personal as anyone ever could have in the moment he made the decision to go to Lisa's home. He knew better the entire time that he was doing it, but the pain coming from his throat and the thoughts that he had actually been out bested for the first time seemed to drive him into a temporary moment of insanity.

The events that had transpired afterwards were only expected when one looked back on the situation. It should have been extremely obvious to anyone that Lisa was going to have better odds fighting him in a house that she was familiar with. Once again, in this instance Jackson had allowed his emotions to overrule his better sense of judgment.

He had allowed his emotions to govern his actions while he was in the house. When he had stepped forward, even after Lisa's warning, his emotions had been out of his own control. The rage and aggravation had driven him to do something stupid; He had known Lisa would shoot, there hadn't even been a gamble when he had stepped forward.

As he had laid on the floor, pain ricocheting through his body from one injury to the other, he had finally come back to his senses. Looking up at Lisa, he had had to admit defeat. He had lost control everything the moment he had given her his sympathy on the plane.

After the events in the house, and during his weeks of recovery, Jackson had made himself a promise much like Lisa's. The situation was never going to be out of his control… It would never happen again.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: I liked that, telling Jackson's feelings about that whole situation. Now then, in the next chapter, we ARE getting off of the blasted plane. I'm going to put two chapters together just to make it happen (Because I supposed that you people are getting sick of plane rides, yes?).

Once more, I want to thank everyone who had reviewed! Also, even though I love and adore the positive feedback, remember: I am not adverse to a little constrictive criticism when needed!

LOVE TO EACH AND EVER REVIEWER AND READER!

IM me on Yahoo or AOL with the name: deathsrequiem07 with suggestions, comments, or if you just wanna chat!


	11. Chapter 10: Iron Will

AN: Sorry guys, I had to pass this through the wonderful people at GAFF. (Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that!) who actually aren't that bad if you ask for help! So, if you notice that the grammar is a little better, I bet they had something to do with it.

AH! Finally, we are getting off of this stupid plane! Whoo hoo! I would have had this update up earlier, but I also had to go to Wal-Mart! I now own four movies with Cillian Murphy in them. He is a truly wonderful actor!

Okay, hortensio gets to be thanked for the corrections in this chapter. Anything missed was not their fault… it was mine. I'm still learning!

Part 10:

Lisa noticed two things when she awoke: that her head was aching and that Jackson was no longer sitting beside her. The first realization was her excuse for her reaction to the second. She panicked.

She twisted her head in either direction, looking for him. Where could he have gone? He wouldn't have just left her sitting there by herself unless something had happened to him. How could something have happened to him? They were on a plane. Still…

It struck her as extremely odd that she was concerned over the well being of the man who was kidnapping her, but she put that particular thought into the back of her mind. When she found Jackson, she could have time to wonder at her brief mental break. He had hit her enough times on the head in the past few days that she could always just blame it on that.

She was actually half way through the process of unfastening her seatbelt and getting up to go and find him when he came around the corner and slid smoothly into the seat beside her. "What do you think you're doing?"

She looked at him, swallowing the feeling of panic that had been unnecessary in the first place. What had possessed her to worry about him? Looking into his blue eyes that were once more full of mocking and coldness, she wanted to slap herself. Worry about Jackson? Please!

"I asked you a question Lis." He smirked, finding himself funny.

She looked coolly at him. "I could ask you the same question."

He gave a short laugh, widening his eyes in mock surprise. "What, concerned about my whereabouts? Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you alone."

She turned her gaze from him, disgusted. "I wish you would."

So, why had she worried?

"This is where I went." Jackson continued on with what he was saying, completely unaware of the way Lisa was mentally yelling at herself. She turned her gaze towards him and watched as he shook two aspirins in a plastic glass. She looked at him for a moment, trying to reflect some of his snideness back at him.

"Why so concerned?"

He gave her an uncompassionate and flat look. "I'm not, but I would really hate for you to pass out from pain half way to the car." He looked out the window, and Lisa noticed as well. They were no longer moving.

"That's right, we're about to get off of the plane." He gave her a sympathetic look that she wanted to hit him for. "I'm sorry that you missed the announcement."

She muttered darkly, "If you hit me much more, I'll stop waking up."

He shrugged and handed her a bottle of water. "Drink up." When she looked at him flatly for a moment, he gestured towards the pills.

After a moment she sighed and took the pills. She needed them.

"So, what was wrong with you when I came back? You looked like you were about to cause a riot." Lisa was not in the mood to answer Jackson, and she certainly wasn't in the mood to tell him that she had been worried for his well being. That would be such a laugh; he would probably tell her 'Thank you for the sentiment, but I don't need anyone worrying about me.' Either that, or he would tell her to go to hell. For some reason, she was definitely leaning towards the second one.

She looked at him blankly and answered. "I was hoping that you had managed to get lost."

He looked at her for a moment, his eyes seeming to penetrate her own and see past her lie. Anger seemed to wash over his face for a moment, and he turned away. Lisa recognized that look; it was the look of pure fury that had appeared on his face when she had lied to him in the bathroom. Jackson obviously wasn't a person who liked being lied to.

She definitely wasn't going to apologize, so she turned her body away from him, looking out the window.

Jackson must have gotten his anger under control a few moments later, because he turned to her once more. "When we get off of the plane, we're going to go straight to the parking lot. I have a car there. Once we get to my house, I'll make another call." Lisa couldn't help but find herself intrigued. She was going to get to see where Jackson Rippner lived. What did an assassination manager's house look like? Was it cold and empty, or maybe black and red to show some kind of sadistic twist? Even if she hated the fact that she was being forced to go, she was actually looking forward to seeing where he lived.

"What is it now? What did I say that suddenly sparked an interest?" She was really beginning to detest the fact that he could seemingly read her like an open book. She shut down the look of emotion on her face before answering him.

"Well, Jackson, you did just mention my father again." She commended herself on telling the truth this time. He _had _mentioned her father after all… The self commendation quickly dissipated when Lisa noticed the angry look in Jackson's eyes.

"Thank you for flying with us once more. Please exit the plane in an orderly manner."

He shut his mouth, and a smirk curled on his lips. "Come on, lets get moving." He stood and stepped back so that she could go out first. She sat still for a moment, wishing that she could just defy him and stay on the plane.

"We're wasting time here Lis, and the longer you wait, the longer it's going to take me to make the call." She stood with that final threat. When she was in front of him, one of his hands came down onto her shoulder almost possessively.

"Now, don't try anything stupid, and everything will run perfectly smooth."

Every word that he said made her want to do a little instep and smash her heel into his shin. Somehow, she managed not to. She marveled at this feat: her will was clearly made of iron after all.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Yep, in the next chapter, it's Jackson house. Or, I don't know… we may just have an rather extremely stimulating drive and leave you hanging as Lisa opens the door. Sounds like something evil to do, yes?

Hope you like the chapter! Remember, constructive criticism is a good thing and suggestions are wonderful! Positive feedback is ALWAYS appreciated!

LOVE TO THE REVIEWERS and READERS!

IM me on yahoo or aol under the name deathsrequiem07, and you know if you just add the at sign and yahoo or aol . com everything will be just fine and I'll get an email! Whoo hoo!


	12. Chapter 11: Into the Monster's Lair

AN: Hey guys! I have to admit something… I'm not going to updating quite as often as normal for probably the next week or two. The reason: I'm working on editing and retying my book. I have a good feeling about this book, since everyone who has read it has loved it. Cross your fingers for me and all that! So, I am in a bit of a rush with this part, I'm sorry if it's not as good as the other ones. (I also have a Chem test to study for… and I have to work out the sound tech stuff for drama… wow, I'm busy, aren't I?)

(insert a sob here) I just cannot make this chapter as long as I want to without completely ruining how I want the chapters planned out. Will it make you people very angry if it's a little short? Please tell me if it bothers you, and I'll make the chapters longer, even if it does ruin the plan. Promise!

Part 11:

Lisa had to exit out of the plane with Jackson's hand holding on to her shoulder as a constant reminder that she was indeed a prisoner. She didn't like the feeling at all, and she liked it even less that Jackson seemed to realize that. When her shoulders tensed, his grip simply tightened.

Other that the extreme discomfort that Lisa felt, she and Jackson made it to the car without any attempts on her part to escape. She was sure that Jackson was just as pleased as punch, because she was not.

Jackson didn't say a word to her as he started the car, but she heard the sound of the locks as soon as he got to his seat. She turned her gaze towards the locks, only to see that she couldn't unlock her door. That was Jackson all right, ever controlling.

The silence that continued in the car was rather nerve-wracking. Lisa was half tempted to turn on the radio just to fill it in, but she worried about Jackson's reaction. Instead, she just turned her gaze out the window and tried to pretend that she was on a road trip. In her senior year at High school, they had taken a trip all of the way to Washington.

This wasn't anything like that.

"So, Lis…" Jackson said after a moment, his eyes flickering from the road in front of him over to her. "Are you hungry?"

That shocked her. She blurted out a response before she could seem to stop herself. "Am I hungry? Jackson, what do you think this is, some kind of date? It's not like you care enough to even begin to wonderful if I'm hungry." She bit her tongue to keep herself from ranting on when she saw the look that came into Jackson's eyes. It was_ the _look. Lisa was beginning to develop a new goal in life: Never make Jackson look at you like that again.

"Well, lets see." Jackson pursed his lips for a moment, then continued on. "Do you honestly that I'm going to be stupid enough to kidnap someone, only to let them starve?" He turned his gaze back to the road. "That would be pointless, now wouldn't it?"

Lisa gave an inward sigh, and answered softly. "It seems like something that you would do."

His eyes flashed over to her once more, but he didn't say anything else to her. Lisa, however, had to lay witness to all of the restraints that they drove by. It wouldn't have been nearly as torturous if she hadn't been hungry.

Maybe she should have just learned at a young age to keep her mouth shut during this type of situation?

Jackson once again had the eerie talent of seemingly being able to tell that something was wrong with her. This time, he wasn't in the least bit sympathetic. He simply said, "It's your own fault."

_Oh, shut up! _Lisa wanted to shout it at him. She managed to keep her lips sealed, simply hoping that once he called the contact to ensure her fathers safety for a while, he would slip up in some way. Until then, she planned on simply not talking to him whatsoever. That would keep her safer, now wouldn't it?

He had to sleep sometime.

"So, are you going to just sit there and pout for the rest of our trip?" Conversational once more, Jackson simply managed to annoy Lisa all the more. She answered him with her silence.

When they pulled up in front of a house, she couldn't help but turn her head to look. Was this Jackson's house?

"Come on then." Apparently, it was.

She looked over at Jackson, narrowing her eyes and once again having to make herself not speak to him. She simply looked pointedly from him to the door. How could she get out if the door was locked?

Rolling his eyes, he looked pointedly at the door, mocking her. "It's unlocked." He said, getting out of the car and walking around to the front of it to wait for her to exit from the obviously unlocked door.

Lisa managed to keep herself from blushing.

Once again, against her own will, she couldn't help but have an inward interest about Jackson's domicile. "So, you live here?" Oops… she had planned to not speak with him.

"Amongst other places." He said smoothly, once again placing his hand on her shoulder as if to make sure that she walked in the correct direction. She wanted to slap him, but instead she kept herself turned forward and imagined finding a pen lying on a desk somewhere in his house. That would be wonderful, now wouldn't it?

"I'm not going to run away, you know? You have my father. That's the winning hand." _For the moment. _

Jackson halted their walking for a moment before making her move forwards once more. "Well, I'm not going to be stupid enough to take any chances. I know how inventive you are."

Lisa was finally forced to stop and wait for Jackson to unlock the door. After thinking for as moment on what he had just said, she said, "Would that be a compliment that you just paid me."

Jackson unlocked the door before he answered, turning and hiding Lisa's view of the room behind him. "I guess that you'll just have to decide on that, now wont you?"

AN: Guys, I know that that was at least five paragraphs shorter than my usual updates. The reasons listed above apply as to why. I really hope that it wont affect how you enjoy reading this. If this update really disappoints you, then I'll… shoot, my grade in Chemistry isn't all that important . Sorry, I couldn't resist. No, but we're having the test thing, so we should have another for a few weeks, and the book shouldn't take that long. Hopefully, things will be back into their normal swing before you know it!

And… of course, I did say that I wanted to be mean and leave you with Jackson's door open. Next update will be an examination of his house! DON'T YOU LOVE IT!

IM ME ON YAHOO OR AOL: Deathsrequiem07


	13. Chapter 12: The Color Blue

AN: Hey guys! I'm not even sure that I'm going to get this done tonight. I have just been sitting up for over an hour hunched over my Romeo and Juliet book figuring out sound cues. I'm just a little tired, and my back is hurting. Hopefully, however, I can finish this. If not, I'll finish it tomorrow. We get to play JACKSON HOUSE! I love that soooo much. We're going to have fun and poke through all of his personal belongings. Oh, and I would just like to say a major thanks to the people who are IM-ing me. It really does mean a whole lot! (You people know who you are!)

Part 12:

Lisa opened her mouth to tell Jackson exactly what she thought of his little 'compliment', when suddenly, she looked over his shoulder. Her mouth dropped open, and before she could stop it, a compliment of her own came out. "It's… beautiful."

The room was she was looking in on seemed to be the living room area. It was shades of blue. Lisa walked past Jackson, who surprisingly put up no resistance. The walls were a royal blue, and the carpet was a midnight color. The furniture was a lighter shade, which actually accented the rest of the scheme. There were a few pictures on the wall (also matching the color scheme). Lisa looked back at Jackson, intrigued despite herself. "I have to say, I'm impressed."

Jackson looked as if he wanted to say, but for a moment, his eyes showed the gratification that he felt with her pleasure of the room. Finally, he did speak. "I'm glad you like it, since you'll be here for a while."

Lisa wondered at the tone in his voice. Why was he speaking to her like that when just moments ago his eyes had shown the delight at her acceptance of his home? That, along with quite a few other questions, was one of the things that made Jackson, well, _Jackson. _

She turned away from him to look around herself once more, and saw a door that led to another room. She raised a brow inquisitively. Not only was rather satisfying to be able to poke around in Jackson's personal life, but she also needed to know the layout of the house. It would be rather difficult to escape if she didn't know where she was running. She turned to face Jackson. "Am I allowed to look at the rest of it?"

A moment passed, and she thought that he was going to deny her request. Finally, he nodded. "Why not, since you seem _so _interested."

"I am." Lisa smirked, walking towards the door, extremely pleased with the fact that she was distressing him. It wasn't very often that you saw Jackson let off any emotion that wasn't planned.

The next room was the kitchen. It's layout was rather shocking, once you exited the calm aura that the living room seemed to emit.

The kitchen was red.

Lisa turned back to look at Jackson, curious as to the extremity in which the colors differed. He, however, didn't seem inclined to answer her unspoken question. Fine then, she would just ask. "Why?"

Again, he put up a bar of resistance. "Why is an awfully general question to ask Lis. Why did I kidnap you? Why are you here? Why is the sky blue…" She wanted to slap him.

"Why is your kitchen red?"

He widened his eyes as if that question had never occurred to him. "Well, when one buys a can of red paint—"

"Why did you buy a can of red paint?" Lisa was _not _going to allow him to distract her from her question. He had watched her for weeks. She was going to pry as far and as much as she could into his personal life and motives. It wasn't exactly fair turnabout, but it was as close as she could get for the moment.

He looked at her for a moment as if he were contemplating telling her the truth. He stood there, looking around the kitchen, before answering. "I only live in this house about three months out of the year."

For a moment, Lisa was flabbergasted. What in the world was he telling her that for? She was about to inquire exactly what that had to do with anything when he continued. "Each room is painted for a different emotion."

Different emotion? "You don't have any emotions." She said it before she could stop herself, and regretted the impulse almost instantly. For a moment, his eyes flared. She realized her mistake.

Jackson Rippner, the cold-hearted manager, had opened up to her. Taken, it was only a slight crack, but he had done so. She had simply mocked him through that small crack. _Genius Lisa… pure genius. _

She tried to quickly think of a way to recover from the slipup, but it seemed to be too late. Jackson's face was completely shut off, and his blue eyes stared at her coolly.

"You're going to get a chance to see exactly what emotions I have before this is over and done with." The menacing tone in his voice made Lisa shudder. She needed him to be in one of his calmer moods if she even had a chance of escape. She needed him to… to trust her.

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing." She brushed past Jackson and walked into the next room. Once again, shock seemed to resonate throughout her. This room had to be Jackson's bedroom. Perhaps her previous statement had been true. Your bedroom reflected on your personality.

Jackson Rippner's bedroom was shades of gray and black.

Lisa stepped in before Jackson caught up to her, and hardly managed to keep herself from spinning in circles to take it all in. He had a large canopied bed, covered with a large, black comforter. The walls were a dark gray, and the carpet was black. She felt as if she had suddenly been drawn into a world without any color. The room was void of it. There also weren't any windows. She wondered exactly how he had managed that. In most rooms, there were always windows. She turned to ask Jackson about it.

His blue eyes were rather startling in the colorless world that was his room. It seemed to make them more prominent, and it seemed to make Jackson even more vivid and real. The tones of color in his hair stood out more, and his eyes seemed to burn.

Lisa never even thought of what effect the room would have on her appearance. It wasn't in the least bit obvious to her that Jackson was having just a bit of a revelation himself. Jackson, however, was the first to recover. "You see, this is my real world."

Still in a bit of shock, Lisa finally managed to answer him. "The world is shades of gray Jackson." Her eyes drifted beyond him, and focused on the object propped against the wall behind him. It was a guitar. He turned to see what she was staring at.

"You play?" It seemed utterly ridiculous to her.

Jackson looked back at Lisa flatly, as if the very questions were utterly and completely absurd. "What do you think?"

Lisa, however, did not know _what _to think. She was at a complete loss.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Heyah people! Sorry that it took so long to update, but at least this one is up to normal size! I thought about blending the next chapter with this one, but I'm not going to make the mistake of revealing too much of Jackson at once. As someone told me, Jackson is a mystery. What kind of a mystery would he be if I just whipped away every single one of his defenses and made him normal?

He wouldn't be any fun, I'd tell ya that much!

Anyhoo, constructive criticism is appreciated, and I'll take requests if I can managed. I already have one that I intend to fulfill in a chapter or two (You should know who you are!) So, I'll see you in the next update!

IM ME ON YAHOO OR AOL: deathsrequiem07


	14. Chapter 13: Comfort Cloth

AN: Whoo, I am actually looking forward to the NEXT chapter! Hehe, I think that there are maybe a privileged few who actually know what's going to happen. To those who don't –insert evil smile here- I think you'll like it! Sorry it took me so long to update, but you know my reasons!

Hmm… I'd really like to thank every for the reviews! I have totally gotten to the 200 point, which means that I'm ecstatic.

Part 13:

Now that Lisa had taken the time to look around Jackson's house, she was at a complete and utter loss as to what to do. Was she just supposed to stand her and look stupidly at Jackson, waiting for him to somehow slip up so that she could make a bid for freedom?

One: she didn't think Jackson _would _do anything stupid while he was still coherent.

Two: she didn't think that she could just stand her and stare at him without managing to do something stupid herself.

Obviously, she had dropped the whole 'do you play' scenario quickly. She didn't have a response to his question, and she didn't want to have to think of one. She had finished exploring the house, which included a black bathroom, a guest bedroom in shades of green, and a half-bath in white. She now wished that she could take back her previous comment that had made Jackson close down with his explanation of the colors.

She was currently in the kitchen, watching and being closely watched by Jackson who was rustling around in the cabinets and looking for something.

Finally, he pulled down a box. "Are you hungry?"

It had never occurred to her that Jackson would offer to cook for her, and it hadn't occurred to her since she had arrived at the house that she was hungry. Of course she was hungry.

"Yes." She wasn't going to be stubborn this time. She needed to eat because no one had very much strength if they were starved. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be all that easy to get away if she ended up having to fight him. It would be all the more difficult to fight him if she were also fighting off hunger. The only logical thing to do was eat.

She sat down at the table with Jackson watching her every movement. His awareness once again reminded her that she was going to have to fight harder than she had fought for anything in her life to get free.

"Do you like pasta?" Jackson smiled at her, and she saw the condescending look behind her. He liked that he was, at the moment, controlling her. Lisa had a feeling that one of Jackson's favorite feelings in the world was the feeling that one had when they were in control of a situation. Jackson liked to dominate.

Lisa sighed, leaning her cheek against her hand. Jackson smirked, and said in a mocking tone: "See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!"

It actually took Lisa quite a few moments to realize that Jackson was quoting Shakespeare to her. Romeo and Juliet.

"Stop it Jackson."

His eyes lit up as if he had been wanting a response like that, for he continued: "O, speak again bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as a winged messenger of heaven."

There was a part somewhere deep inside of Lisa that was extremely impressed that he knew Shakespeare at all. "Where did you learn that?" She finally said in a haughty tone. There wasn't any point in letting him know that she was impressed.

Jackson, however, seemed to see behind the façade, because he sounded all too pleased when he responded. "Don't you know? In assassin school, we take Drama so that we can act in whatever manner is appropriate for the situation." He turned towards the stove to drain the noodles. Lisa had to wonder if he were telling the truth or not; it would have made sense if he were.

"So, do they teach you to cook as well?" She inquired as he turned with the bowl of pasta and two plates.

"Oh no, this is a skill that I learned all on my own." He sat the food down and proceeded to serve her. He watched as she took her first bite, and she knew that he wanted a response. She was so tempted to lie…

"It's good."

But she couldn't.

Dinner went by rather quickly, without any more discussion. Jackson seemed intent on watching her facial expressions, and Lisa was getting rather nervous with it. The feeling of being watched… at least she could finally relate it to the feeling that she had had for all of those weeks when Jackson had watched her before.

Finally, Lisa wiped her mouth and offered her plate to Jackson, who put it in the sink. "So, now what?"

Jackson looked at her with a sigh. "Now, I take a shower, and you stay put."

She managed to keep her eyes from widening. Was he just going to leave her out and trust that she stayed put? Would it really be that easy?

Nah, Jackson wasn't that stupid.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm going to take a shower, and you're going to stay where I put you." He stood, and took her arm lightly. She didn't fight it; the situation could go in her favor rather easily. All that she had to do was wait to see where he was going to put her, wait until he was in the shower… and run. Hopefully, she could make it to a phone before he even realized that she was gone.

He ended up taking her to his room. He produced a rope and tied her wrists together. (It shocked Lisa that he put a softer cloth between the rope and her skin, but then again, what good were damaged goods?). Afterwards, he looked the rope to the foot of his bed and gave her an extremely serious look.

"I will hear it if you try to leave Lis. Don't be stupid." With that parting comment, he walked into the shower. She didn't hear the door lock behind him.

XXXxxxXXXxxx

AN: Sorry we couldn't have a bunch of little frivolous, nonsense talk at the dinner table, but if we are going to have any nonsense talk left for the rest of the story, I need to use it sparingly. Well, whoot! Jackson is in the shower. Anyone could derive what is going to happen next, and you may or may not be right. I know that Jackson is just a bit naive for thinking that Lisa wouldn't run away. Either that or he has complete and utter trust in his capabilities to assure himself that she can't. Hmm… Naïve or self-confidence… Let's take a guess as to which one I'm betting one!

Hmm, and remember, if you have any ideas or suggestions, constructive criticism or comments, feel free to tell me!

Whoo! IM if you lahhve me… or if you want to yell at me for something that I did that you hate.

Deathsrequiem07: ON AOL OR YAHOO IM!

Amandathevampirelove


	15. Chapter 14: We'll Finish This

AN: Well, here's the big 'Jackson in the shower' scene that it seems you have all been anticipating.  I know I've been waiting to write it.

Sorry that I've kinda fibbed and said that I was gonna update yesterday, I meant to… and then a couple of things came up. However, I am updating today, so whoo hoooooo! And… I hope that you enjoy the whole shower scene.

Whoo with the shower…

Part 13:

It didn't take Lisa more than three minutes to decided that she wanted to leave. At first, she was just slight stumped on how to proceed with getting loose, but then she realized… Jackson's momentary bout of kindness would be his downfall.

Working silently and swiftly, Lisa was able to wriggle the cloth between the rope and her skin out. She jerked at it with her teeth once she could see it, and soon the piece of cloth fell to the floor.

One would be shocked at exactly how much slack is given to bindings once the comfort cloth is taken away.

It took Lisa less than two minutes to wriggle her hands free from the rope. She looked cautiously at the bathroom door. Was Jackson one of those males that stayed in the bathroom for overly long amounts of time?

God, she hoped so.

She stood, completely aware of the creaking that the bed made. Every step that she took seemed to make such a pounding sound on the floor. How had Jackson not heard her?

She made it to the door of the room when she heard the water shut off. She paled with panic and opened the door. Her only hope was to get out of the house before he realized that she had even managed to get loose.

She looked behind her, placing her hand on the doorknob. At first, she thought that he had locked it; Lisa felt extremely stupid when she realized that the door only opened in the other direction. She swung it open…

And felt her heart plummet when she heard the crash of the vase that it had knocked over. Jackson had heard that one.

She heard him shout her name, and darted out of the door. She only looked back once when she heard the bathroom door slam open, and the site nearly halted her before she regained her senses: She saw a dripping wet, towel clad Jackson running after her.

"Lisa!" She didn't want him to catch her! She pulled the layout of the house from memory and darted quickly into the kitchen, thinking to make it out the door. Surely he wouldn't chase her when he was wet like that? Outside in a towel? If he did that, she could simply claim that he was completely insane and get away while they carted him off to some asylum.

She thought about the layout of the house again. If she could make it into the living room, there weren't any more exits, were there? There had been a few rooms that Lisa had not been permitted to tour simply because Jackson had decided to go to 'shower land'.

Here was to hoping that it wasn't going to come back and bite her.

She dived into the living room and twisted her head quickly to look back. He wasn't there. She gave a triumphant smile and turned to face the front… and ran straight into something extremely wet, nearly nude, and very angry.

The feeling of defeat was washed away by two emotions battling one another viciously in her mind. One: The sensory feeling of being pressed against Jackson in such a manner was almost overwhelming. Two: The look in his eyes was intimidating, frightening, and exciting. She couldn't tell if he was furious or… something else.

"Jackson I—"

"Let me guess, you were just trying to find the other bathroom because you didn't want to disturb me?"

"Jackson—" He sounded angry. He grabbed her arm and started hauling her back towards his room, while he continued to rage at her.

"You were going to slip back in after your little bathroom visit, and I'd never know you were gone?"

"Jackson—"

"Don't you know yet Lisa? You're here for good!" They were now at the door to his room.

'For good…' It angered Lisa for some reason. She got directly into his face, unaware that their bodies were pressed tightly against one another's.

"I am _not _here for good. What did you think? That I was just going to roll over and say take me I'm yours? I don't think so! You're such a male chauvinistic, basta—"

"Lisa!"

"Don't you interrupt me Jackson, I—" he brought his finger up and pressed it against her lips, successfully quieting her for the few seconds that it took to finish her statement.

"Look so beautiful when you're angry."

Lisa didn't have time to respond, because Jackson then proceeded to replace his finger with his lips.

This kiss was nothing like the kiss that they had shared in the bathroom on the plane. That kiss had been almost a struggle for dominance. This kiss was simply that. Dominance. Jackson was showing her exactly what it meant to be _kissed. _

The anger that had been in his previous words seemed to be spilling between them in a burning and growing passion, strong enough to make Lisa's knees weak. It didn't matter— Jackson supported her. His arms came up, one around her waist and one pressing the back of her neck. Lisa couldn't pull herself back into coherency this time… the feelings were just _too _strong. She could always claim insanity later. Of course, at the moment, her brain was in overdrive and she could think of nothing more that then feeling that Jackson was once more awakening inside of her.

Her hands came up to his chest, feeling the wetness from the shower still there. She tasted the fresh water on his lips, felt as her clothes began to absorb the water with how closely they were pressed.

Jackson picked her up then, walking backwards with her… towards his room.

Lisa couldn't seem to put up any fight.

When she felt herself being laid down on the bed, she did put her hands up… to far… too much… too damn late.

She felt the cool metal band slid around her wrist and heard the 'click' sound as Jackson slid the other side of the handcuff onto the headboard of his bed. His body was still pressed flushed against hers, and she saw the darker colors swimming in his eyes. There _had _been passion behind that kiss.

He leaned down, with his lips brushing hers lightly. "Try to do that again Lis, and we'll finish this."

The warmth that had been pressed against her suddenly dissipated, and Jackson quickly left the room.

Lisa couldn't decide whether to be angry or afraid. He had _used _that kiss to maneuver her to where he wanted her… but still.

That last taunt had almost sounded like a plea.

AN: HAHAHAHAHA! Whoo, I've been waiting to write that for a while. Heh, did everyone like it? Was it okay?

Feed back is greatly appreciated and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS!

Amandathevmapirelove

And my IM on both YAHOO AND AOL:

Deathsrequiem07


	16. Chapter 15: The Things I Do

AN: I'm going to admit right now that this part is going to be extremely short. However, it's one of the major plot twists in the story, so I don't feel like making it long and drowning it out with a lot of other useless info. So yeah, it's like half the length of the other updates. I'm really really sorry, and I hope that you can all forgive me!

Thank you so much for the reviews guys! Ohh, and BTW, how would you guys like it if I wrote a story where Jackson and Dr. Crane were brothers, which totally involved J/L? Just a thought!

Oh, and also… I'm glad you guys liked the showerwetness scene. There IS going to be a 'the wonderful process of making babies' scene coming up… Is that okay? I hope so!

Part 15:

Lisa had somehow managed to calm down and fall asleep a couple of hours after the whole 'wet' incident. She couldn't, however, deny the fact that her dreams were… rather interesting.

When she woke the next morning, she heard Jackson voice.

"I don't care, I need a man on that house twenty-four-seven. If the house is unguarded, and God forbid, Lisa manages to find out, I'll have no leverage over her."

Lisa's heart caught in her throat. Were they going to leave her father unguarded? It was just the opportunity that she was looking for. Of course, she wasn't sure that Jackson was going to allow it to happen. She listened on.

"No…" A pause. "Fine then. You have twenty-four hours to get a new person. Yes…"

Lisa's heart skipped again. Her dad WAS going to be unguarded for a whole day. That left her with options.

Suddenly her door cracked open, and Jackson's head popped in. Lisa had just managed to get her eyes shut. She sat with her eyes closed, praying that Jackson's mysterious 'manager powers' didn't extend to being able to tell when someone was feigning sleep. Apparently, they didn't: after a few moments, the door closed silently. Jackson was speaking in hushed tones now, but she still managed to hear him.

"Well, fine then. Get Jason there by tomorrow, but I swear to you right now…" His voice took on a menacing tone. "If there isn't someone at the Reisert house by tomorrow, I'll have your head mounted on my wall." Suddenly the cajoling voice came back. "Have a wonderful afternoon."

Lisa heard the phone hang up, and rolled over, pretending to sleep once more. Sure enough, Jackson entered the room. She felt him lean over her, checking her out. Thankfully, she had perfected the art of looking like she was sleeping long ago, and could easily fake anyone out.

She felt something brush against her face, and her hair was tucked behind her ear. Someone, Jackson managed to make that soft touch something that proved… dominance. Everyone and everything that Jackson touched was automatically subservient to him.

"The thing I'll do for you." He murmured, and then turned away.

It was lucky that he did, because Lisa gave an irrepressible shudder, half in anger and half in… something else.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: see, I told you it was short. However, it is also leading up to the big scene for the moment. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Please IM me with suggestions and comments, and remember to REVIEW! REVIEWING MAKES ME UPDATE FASTER!

IM ME ON YAHOO OR AOL: deathsrequiem07, ask for Amanda


	17. Chapter 16: Posession

AN: Okay guys… the reason for this chapter is… I'm working up to the next one. (Also I thought it would be nice to have a little more Jackson insight before some wonderfully twisting moments occur). Also, I thought it was important to show that Jackson wasn't lalabunnyhappy once more. I see Jackson as an extremely possessive and protective person. Yes, love is thrown into the fray somewhere, but I thought it would be nice to see what was going through is brain!

Yes, I mortally fear what is going to happen in Part 17. Because I mortally fear it, there are probably about 20 screaming people waiting for it. It always seems to be that way.

But no, I hope you like this chapter; it's just insane ranting of the Jackson mind. I always find that I enjoy insane ranting of the Jackson anything .

Anyhoo… Yeah, and I KNOW that a lot of people are going to enjoy the next chapter… I don't even think that I have to give you three guesses to have you think of what it is?

Part 16:

Jackson hung up the phone, debating as to whether things were going to go terribly wrong because of the whole situation. He wanted there to be no opportunity for there to be mistakes. Everything had to run smoothly and efficiently, or else nothing was going to work out in his plan.

His plan… what exactly _was _his plan? Kidnap Lisa: the first part had worked out wonderfully. He had Lisa, though it was a little sooner than he had planned. He wasn't going to bring her to his residence for a couple of weeks, but she had had to upset the balance of everything that he had planned and run.

Lisa always seemed to be upsetting his plans.

He opened the door to his room and looked in. There she was, lying docile on his bed; he knew that she was only that way towards him when she was asleep. He opened the door a little wider, leaning against the frame.

"What are you doing Rippner?" he muttered it to himself, but of course… he knew exactly what he was doing.

Since the beginning, and for as long as he could remember, Jackson had been a very possessive person. Once he claimed anything, it was his forever.

Lisa, he had claimed in the first few weeks of watching her. He had known it to be a mistake then. He wasn't supposed to feel any type of emotion towards any of his targets, but as he continued to watch her, he couldn't help it. As had happened with a handful of other things, the possessive feeling washed over him, and Lisa was marked.

His.

When he had gotten onto the plane, he had tried to quash those emotions, and had nearly succeeded. There were a few moments: When he had first knocked her out, he couldn't help but smooth her hair over. Couldn't help touching what was his. In the bathroom he had wanted to rip the man who had hurt her apart… of course, he had managed to exact that revenge already. And then again, at her house he had had a moment where he wanted nothing more than to sling her over his shoulder, shoot Keefe himself, and have the job over with.

Of course, that hadn't happened. Lisa had insulted him, and the blind rage that was going on inside of him had once again taken over.

And now, they were here. Lisa was sleeping in his bed, and he was on the phone making arrangements to keep her father under constant surveillance, with people who had no qualms about shooting him watching. If it could be avoided, he wouldn't have Joe Reisert shot, because he was not in the mood to drag Lisa back from hating him that far. He wasn't even sure that _he _could do that. No, the constant surveillance was mainly there as a fail-safe, and a threat.

Lisa didn't seem to respond well to threats. That was good, because Jackson didn't respond well to them himself. He was sure that he wouldn't have wanted Lisa at all of she simply rolled over and gave up.

But of course, that wasn't _his _Lisa. No, she would never do that.

Jackson closed the door and turned his back on the room. The real dilemma lay ahead of him. He knew that Lisa was his; he just had to make Lisa understand and accept that. He wanted her to stand by his side… perhaps without the handcuffs?

The only way that that was going to happen was if she accepted the situation that she was in, and thought of exactly how it could suit her. It wasn't like Jackson wouldn't give her freedoms. Once he trusted her, he would allow her to do pretty much what she wanted, but of course, he would be there to keep an eye on her…

Exploring his emotions for Lisa had been one of the most complicated things that Jackson had ever done. He had happily tossed away most emotions at a young age. And suddenly here he was, picking them up again. It was an extremely slow process, and most of the time his emotions lay barren. It was only when he was around Lisa that they really flared at all.

But again, that was why she was his. That was why he had to keep her with him. He didn't want anything or anyone else to touch her… He had never felt quite this possessive before.

Of course, he knew what was really driving him… no one had ever beaten him before. No one had ever showed him that he wasn't going to win every time. No one had ever argued, and fought back. The chaos that Lisa induced was something that nearly drove Jackson insane.

No one had ever done that before. Everything was calm, cool, and controlled.

Cool, controlled and empty.

No one had ever made Jackson start to feel complete.

That was why Lisa Reisert _was _**his. **

XXXxxxXXX

AN: So there you are, a wonderfully building up moment to get you to the first of… about maybe 4 plot twists. The second will come shortly after! Poor Jackson, having all of this inside thinking about possessiveness and completion while Lisa is sitting in the other room plotting how to escape. Don't you just LOVE IT!

WHOO IM ME IF YOU WANNA GIVE ME AN SUGGESTIONS: deathsrequiem07 on aol or yahoo!

amandathevampirelove


	18. Chapter 17: Just One More Minute

AN: Well, I actually wrote the second half of this before I did the first, the second half was a lot easier to write than the first… no idea why, when I thought it was going to be the harder part. I hope it's not too horrid!  Hopefully, you'll all enjoy it! Also, I tried to make this a nice long chapter, to make up for the two short ones before this! Hopefully, it and it's content will make up for it!

Also, the first half is slightly… oy…I just hope that the second half makes up for it!

Heh, this is up quicker than normal, yes?

Part 17:

Lisa didn't know exactly when she was going to make her bid for freedom, but she knew that she only had a twenty-four hour window in which to do it, and time was already running out.

Her best bet, she decided, was to simply get out of the handcuffs first, and then look at her situation.

The first step to her plan was actually fulfilled rather quickly. All that she had to worry about now was figuring out how to stay out of the handcuffs, get Jackson distracted, and get out of the door before he noticed.

Yeah, that wasn't going to be hard at all.

The day was probably a normal day of someone who had been kidnapped. Jackson came and uncuffed her around 10, and led her to the kitchen to eat. She ate her breakfast, and then Jackson led her back to the bedroom. She stayed in there for the better part of the day, and was led out again around 6 and taken to the living room. Jackson, seeming to sense the darker and contemplative mood that she was in, had not tried to engage her in conversation. Maybe he was just trying to make sure that she didn't fly off and try something stupid… like getting to a phone and calling her father when there weren't any people there to guard him. That was probably it.

Lisa had been formulating a plan since breakfast that morning, so she didn't eat until a little after seven. It seemed to peak Jackson's curiosity that she asked for her meal at a later time, but again, he seemed to try to not provoke her for that day.

Lisa just wanted it to be darker outside, incase he tried to chase her.

Halfway through her meal, Lisa prepared for her plan. She didn't know if it was going to work, but if it didn't, she was just going to have to try fighting, she supposed. She lifted her glass halfway to her mouth, and then took a deep breath.

"Jackson, I—" Jackson turned to look, and saw Lisa's eyes roll into the back of her head, and watched as she fell sideways from her chair. The glass that she had been holding shattered, and it's contents soaked Jackson's floor. Hopefully, Jackson was as big of a neat freak as she pinned him to be.

She heard him swear, and felt herself being picked up. _Please carry me to the living room. Please carry me to the living room. _

She could hardly repress the smile that crossed her mouth as Jackson laid her on the couch. She felt him feel her forehead and check her pulse. He smoothed her hair back from her face, which was an odd gesture in her opinion. She didn't have time to contemplate it however, because Jackson stood away from her. "Always causing inconveniences, aren't you Lis?" he muttered, and she heard his footsteps retreat back to the kitchen, more than likely to clean up the mess that her glass had made.

She waited for only a moment, and then got up. She winced slightly, feeling her forehead. There was a small cut, probably from her glass. She'd worry about that later, it wasn't even bleeding all that bad. Right now, she needed to get out the door and to a phone.

She heard the water and smiled to herself. He _was _cleaning up her mess. That gave her plenty of time. She walked silently towards the door, listening as the water shut off. More than likely, he was cleaning up the mess right at that moment.

She was only a few steps from the door, and amazed at how smoothly the plan had went over. Maybe if she hadn't been reveling in her own success, she would have heard the footsteps behind her.

"You recover awfully quickly, don't you Lis?" She spun around so quickly that she nearly _did _faint. There was Jackson with a wet cloth and a bandage. Apparently, he hadn't cleaned up the mess. He had intended upon cleaning her cut first. Why?

Lisa narrowed her eyes and spoke innocently. "The… bathroom?" That was extremely lame, especially when it was obvious that her path was directing her towards the front door.

"Which is down the hall." His eyes narrowed in the way that they always did when Lisa lied. "Try again." He sat the bandage and the cloth down on the back of the couch. His concern for her well being seemed to be fading. His eyes flicked from Lisa's face, to the door behind her. He seemed to piece together exactly what she had done. If she wasn't mistaken, a smile actually flickered across his lips.

"To warn my father that you're watching him and make the police rain down on you like the rat you are?" He did seem to like the truth, and it appeared as if he already knew it anyways. Why lie now?

Suddenly, he was there, pushing her against the wall. His blue eyes were mere inches from hers, and she could feel his breath on her mouth. "Honesty is so refreshing, now isn't it, Lis?"

She was so tempted to spit in his face, but she feared the consequences of that action. Jackson didn't scare her in the least, her own stupidity did. "Get _off _of me Jackson." Going against her better judgment, she leaned her face even closer to his, and bit of her demand. "Now!"

His eyes, so close to hers now, seemed to search her own for a moment. "Is that what you really want Lis? You want me to get off of you and let you go call the police?" His voice was calm now, soft.

She could hear the level of anger underneath it. That particular, calm voice scared her more than anything that had yet to happen in this particular struggle.

Still, Jackson loved it when she told him the truth. She was only too happy to oblige him. "Yes, get the hell off of me."

The pleasant look in his eyes wasn't exactly assuring to her, so Lisa warily kept herself pressed against the wall as Jackson pulled back from her. "Fine." That was it? "But just so you know…" Obviously, it wasn't. He brought his face back down, even closer than before. "If you even think about leaving this house, I will make a call, and I can assure you that all that will be left of your dear Daddy to save," he smiled nastily, "Will be a mutilated corpse." He stepped back from her completely.

She gave a savage smile of triumph, and started edging towards the door. Jackson looked at her, his eyes narrowing. She knew what he was thinking: Why has she suddenly decided that her father's life wasn't worth it.

"I thought you never lied." Closer to the door now… just a few more steps…

"What are you talking about?" He pulled out his cellular phone, seemingly as a threat.

"I heard you on the phone _Jack." _ She smiled, as her hand grasped the knob of the door. "There isn't anyone at my fathers house. They're in transition."

She expected shock, defeat, even anger. What she didn't expect was yet another nasty smile, and for Jackson to shrug.

"You're right Lisa. The man that I have posted at your house _is _gone." Her heartbeat slowed down from the nasty thumping that it had been doing. His next words made it threaten to stop. "But you're forgetting the people that I stationed in the house _beside _yours. I'm sure if I called them up," He lifted his cell in demonstration, "And told them that you were coming, you'd still have the same nasty welcome when you got home."

"I don't believe you." She spat it out before she could think to stop herself. It wasn't _fair! _She was too close for him to pull something like this out of his sleeve. But the look in his eyes…

"Then go on. Get out," He began punching in a few numbers. "We'll just see." He lifted the phone to his ear. It was ringing.

Lisa reacted, once again, before she could even really think about it. She was across the room and gripped Jackson's wrist, wrenching the phone from his ear… Jackson's eyes widened, and he turned once more, dropping the phone and slamming her against the wall.

This time, their faces weren't inches apart.

This time, their lips brushed against one another's… and suddenly Lisa forgot the phone.

Jackson was kissing her. It was such a possessive kiss, full of passion and emotion. Lisa was kissing him back just as passionately without realizing that she was even doing it.

For those few seconds, Lisa forgot why they were struggling. It only took those few seconds for Jackson to pick her up and start walking backwards. When their lips parted for those few moments while he was picking her up, her clarity seemed to return.

_This is it! He's distracted, now hit him and run! _It was the logical thought that went through Lisa's mind. The only logical thought.

Her eyes flew open, determined to do what she had to, and then she saw Jackson's face. His eyes were closed, and he was kissing her again. The look that she saw across his face wasn't like any look that she had ever seen Jackson have. It was tender and fiery all at the same time. Suddenly, his eyes opened too, and for a moment, the kissing stopped. Lisa thought that she was going to manage to break away at that moment. She thought that she was going to be able to do what she had to. Then, Jackson did something extremely odd.

He smiled at her.

It was the barest of flashes, and it was gone before it was even registered in Lisa's mind. But it wasn't like any smile that he had given her before. It wasn't full of malice, or some plan. It wasn't fake and part of a strategy. It was real… and warm. After that, Jackson's kiss seemed to triple in intensity, and she heard his bedroom door open. However, it was that smile that started Lisa on her damning chant. 

_Just one more minute. Just one more minute. _She didn't know why, but the feelings that that smile had given her… It must have made her stupid.

She felt Jackson turn around, and her back hit the bed. Suddenly, she knew what was going to happen. It was strange, you would think that it would have given her a horrible feelings, much like the time when the man had raped her in the parking lot. However, for some reason, there was a burning intensity building inside of her that washed all coherent thought from Lisa's mind.

When Jackson pulled his shirt off, and threw it on the floor beside the bed, what they were going to do _really _hit home. The chant of '_just one more minute' _had stopped. Lisa knew that she was going to regret this in the morning; there wasn't even any doubt in her mind about it. It was just, as Jackson leaned back over her, that regret was the _last _thing on her mind.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Well guys, she did the naught monkey dance. You know it, I know it, and Lisa definitely knows it. I figured that if they ever _were _going to do it, it would be when Lisa was so caught up in the moment, that she didn't exactly realize what she was doing until it was too last. As my Drama teacher says: She was confused by the hotness.

Anyhoo, I know that the first half of this was rather crappy. If that chapter didn't fulfill expectations, please let me know, and I will rewrite it! I just hope it did, and I know that you guys all have better imaginations that I can write it out to be. Thought I'd give you your own little imaginative treat. Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday! Jackson visuals for everyone!

Like it, hate it? REVIEW PEOPLE! Love you for it!

IM ME ON AOL OR YAHOO: deathsrequiem07 just incase you wanna talk or even if you have suggestions. I love hearing from you!

Oh, and is it just me, or… Doess the song Every Breath You Take remind you of Jackson? You know, 'every breath you take, every move you make… I'll be watching you.' .

Amandathevampirelove


	19. Chapter 18: The Morning After

AN: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I'm not going to make any excuses, I'm just going to give you the reason.

Ready? Kingdom Hearts 2 came out. I had to baby sit like… every night to get enough money to get it (And the people that I talk to will know that!) Also, I had to re-beat KH 1. Don't ask me, I'm just a freak that way ! Anyway, yeah…

Morning after, right? Yeah, this is a morning after that I don't think Jackson is ever going to forget or forgive!

Part 18:

Lisa woke up lying against Jackson's chest, with his arms securely around her. The events of last night were still fresh on her mind. However, she had realized two things as soon as she woke up.

One, Jackson had finally lied to her. For some reason, she hadn't thought clearly. She could have walked out last night. Her neighbors had moved out five days _before _Jackson had managed to take her. No one was there… she could call her Dad and have him take an anonymous trip to one of his friend's houses.

The second thing that she realized was… she had never felt so right before. Maybe it was one of those psychosis problems that people had with kidnappers. The point of the matter was, she could honestly say that Jackson made her feel safe. Kidnappers weren't supposed to make you feel safe.

Because she realized these two things, she came to a conclusion. She had to leave.

Her father would be assured safety, and she could do it without getting Jackson arrested. She couldn't stay here, because she couldn't risk delving any deeper into the sudden and intense feelings that she was developing for Jackson. It wasn't possible, and if she left, maybe she could just forget about it.

She even knew where she was going to go. Her friend's house was still open for a couple more weeks. She could hang out there until she decided what the best course of action was. There had to be a way to assure her own safety without getting Jackson into trouble.

She really must have been losing her mind; a few weeks ago she would have loved nothing better than to have had him behind bars.

She managed to detach herself from her kidnappers arms without waking him up. She stood, and looked at him for a moment. When he was sleeping, he looked like the man that she had first met, asking her if she'd like to get something to eat. Perhaps that hadn't been a mask as she had assumed. Perhaps there was a softer side to Jackson.

It was almost a shame that she was never going to find out.

She stared wistfully at him for a few more minutes, and then turned and picked up her clothes. She put them on quickly, and left the room. Lisa had half expected to hear Jackson running after her, trying to stop her. There was a part of her that wanted him to, but a bigger part wanted to assure her fathers safety even more.

She did one thing before she left the house. She grabbed Jackson's cell phone, and her purse. She had enough money in there to get a ticket to her friend's house (she was going to take a bus or train this time), and then… she wasn't sure. She just couldn't stay there, with Jackson.

She was both extremely furious and grateful to him. She was angry that he had managed to make her feel anything towards him, when she knew that he probably didn't feel anything towards her. She was angry that he had managed to make her go insane enough to have any feelings for a murderer. She was even angrier that she couldn't seem to make them go away.

However, she was also extremely grateful to him for what she had experienced last night. Jackson had showed her that everything wasn't as horrible as she had been remembering it. For the first time in her life, Lisa had had an intimate encounter with a man and the memory of her rape had not come to mind. Last night, she had thought of nothing but Jackson, and the feelings he was bringing out of her.

Jackson had showed her that it was okay to love… and now she was leaving him on the 'morning after'.

It made her wonder if she was heartless or not.

With a sigh, Lisa walked to the bus station. She bought a ticket, and was shocked to find that it wasn't even that far away. Over the state line, but still, not far.

While she was waiting for her bus, she pulled out Jackson's cell phone. She stared at it for a moment, and then punched in a number. Listening to it ring, she waited until he answered, and then spoke.

"Hey Daddy…"

Jackson woke up, and instantly realized that Lisa wasn't where she was supposed to be. His heart dropped into his stomach, and he furiously raged at himself. He shouldn't have been stupid enough to fall asleep without making sure that she was secured and unable to leave. He shouldn't have been stupid enough to assume that she wouldn't leave after…

It didn't matter. He was going to find her.

Last night had assured him of one thing: Lisa was _his. _He saw it in her eyes; she cared about him, even if she wasn't going to admit it. There had always been the chemistry between then, and last night had just… sealed the bargain.

He was going to find Lisa again, very soon. When he did, he was never going to let her leave him, ever again.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Well guys, I know that this is kinda short, but I didn't want to dive into the next chapter. Obviously, I have it set out into patterns that I want to happen, and hopefully it's all okay!

Also, was her realizing that she loved him and still loathed him in a sense okay? I mean, I didn't want her to just magically fall in love, the reason that she did was because he made her realize that everything wasn't all violence and pain like her rape had left the impression of. Do you understand? I hope so.

If you hate this chapter, or you think I rushed things PLEASE TELL ME! And I'll try to correct it.

IM me with any suggestions on Yahoo or AIM: deathsrequiem07


	20. Chapter 19: Suspicion and Eggs

AN: Okay, so I finally beat Kingdom Hearts 2 I think yesterday. The past few days of my life have been a blur of Sora and Roxas… and let me say that anyone who knows what it's all about can probably expect a few fanfics about it from me. I love Axel, and Demyx, and Riku, and… well… Everyone. Anyway, yeah. So, I should be back to updating, unless I go on a 'Build up so you can beat Sephiroth' spree! (And I'm listening to Simple and Clean and Sanctuary right now!)

Part 19:

The first thing that Jackson did was check on Lisa's father… who had managed to take a trip with his law-enforcement friends to a safe house. The only thing that shocked Jackson about that whole situation was, apparently Lisa hadn't told him that it was Jackson who was watching him. He had no tips to send the police. Probably some type of sensible nobility. You couldn't just have sex with someone and then turn them into the police could you?

But you could run away.

Didn't matter, he was getting her back. It was a rather easy process. It wasn't like he wasn't going to be able to do it. With all of the different Organizations that he had worked with over time, he had connections to every single means of transportation, as well as varying people just _watching. _Yes, it would be nearly impossible for him to **not **find her.

He was sure that Lisa knew this, and was just trying to ignore the simple fact that Jackson was very _very _good at his job.

It didn't matter. He would find where she was and make sure that someone was watching her. He might even do it himself, to remind himself of old times. He would give her a couple of weeks or so to get the little taste of freedom out of her system, and then he was going to take her home, with him, where she belonged.

Lisa was actually at her friends house in no time. She was rather nervous at first, because she was worried that Jackson was going to pop out of nowhere and drag her back (And even more nervous at the small part inside of her that would have happily let him).

Every person that she crossed, she just knew that it was someone that worked with or knew Jackson. Everyone that she talked to, she was afraid that somehow her conversation would make its way back to him.

Paranoia did not become Lisa. She finally just moved to the front of the bus and sat directly behind the driver. No one seemed to bother her when she was there. She spent most of her trip in silence, because she wasn't going to rest with ease until she was behind a locked door, with something large and sharp beside her to fend off Jackson when he came.

She had no illusion that he wouldn't eventually come, just as she had no illusion what would happen to her if she hesitated for a moment to act how she needed to when he _did _come after her.

She knew that he had to be very angry about what she had done, because she herself would have been extremely enraged. The only thing that she could hope for was that the doubtful feelings that had been building up inside of her would dissipate by the time that he found her, and she would be able to take whatever actions were necessary to make sure that she stayed free.

Once she got to her friends house, she was simply going to barricade herself there until her friend returned, and then she was going to see if she couldn't get a ticket on something that _wasn't _a plane to some other friends house. Once she was assured that nothing was going to happen to her friends and family, then she was going to…

Going to what? Pick a state and start a new life? Pretend that it never happened, again? She couldn't just drop everything that she had been doing to assure herself that Jackson never found her.

She didn't want to go back with Jackson again.

_At least not against your own will. It wouldn't be so bad if you went to him._

**Shut up! **

Her eyes snapped wide open. She couldn't believe it; she was having a conversation with herself. She had always heard that it was perfectly normal to talk to ones self as long as you didn't reply. Wasn't snapping at the little voice nagging you inside to shut up counted as replying?

She was just going to have to ignore the fact that it had happened at all.

_Go on and ignore it, but you can't get rid of a guilty conscious and your voice of truth._

Lisa had dig her fingernails into her palms to make herself not respond. What she _wanted _to say was that she had no reason to be guilty, and there was no truth whatsoever to the 'feelings' that she had towards Jackson. That was just some kind of disordr that everyone had with the people that kidnapped them. It would go away, and she could go back to living her normal life.

'Scrambled eggs at 3 a.m.'…

Lisa hadn't done that in a while. She couldn't even begin to imagine why.

A few hours later, Lisa was at her friends house, locking the door safely behind her. There was a note for her on the door:

Lisa,

I don't know if you're going to use the house or not, but you know where you can get the extra key from.

(It had been under a rock in the garden)

I hope that whatever it is that's bothering you, you work it out. If it's guy trouble, you know that you can always count on me to help you out however I can. I should be gone a little longer than I told you. You can stay for at least six weeks, but you know that you're welcome to be here as long as you need.

I hope that you're okay.

Lisa looked at the note in her hands for a few minutes, then finished locking the door. She then looked at her watch. It was nearly ten at night already. The bus ride had went well into the evening, and then she had had to catch a cab out to the house. She had enough money on her credit card and in the bank to last her for a while, and she knew that if she had to borrow any, she would be able to pay it back later.

Sitting down, exhaustion swept over her. She couldn't believe how tired she was. All of the paranoia of the day must have worn her out.

Still, she was hoping that she could wake herself up at 3…

For some reason, Lisa had the strangest urge for eggs.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Hope you liked it. Now then, I need your honest opinion. This was two chapters put together, well, two chapters worth of things that could have happened, and we chopped down and put together. Do you like it better this way, so that the story will be over with faster, or do you want me to go back to my semi-shorter chapters and have 30 parts but still try to update at least twice a week.

It's all up to you.

Oh, and also, I'm still open completely to opinions. Just thought you might wanna know.

Still love constructive criticism. And I adore everyone who reviews for this, reviews really really make me happy!

Love for everyone who reads this!

Amandathevampirelove

IM Me on YAHOO OR AOL: deathsrequiem07 Ask for Amanda. If I'm not there, leave a message with whoever is, and I'll get it!


	21. Chapter 20: Little Accident

AN: Sorry for the wait. I'm still just a bit (just a bit, HA!) Kingdom Hearts obsessed… so yeah. I haven't been in an exactly writing mood. I've been playing that, and reading these books about someone named Sookie, and a vampire named Bill, which is just fascinating to me. Anyway, after this chapter, the story is just pretty much the action that happens. This chapter is pretty important though, so don't discount it! But yes, there are around 9 chapters left, and they will be to the point, and probably around mid-range. Whoo hooo!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Sorry for the wait!

Part: 20

After nearly a month of silence, Lisa was beginning to worry about Jackson. True, she _had _ran away from him, and she didn't want to go back, but there was still something inside of her that seemed to be terribly concerned that he hadn't found her yet. She knew that Jackson was better than that, and she knew that he was more efficient than that. She had been expecting a visit, and yet another quick escape, but it hadn't happened.

She was praying that it was because of the stress that she was nearly two weeks late for her period.

She was standing in the store at the moment, looking at the pregnancy tests with a sick feeling in her stomach. How in the _world _could she have gotten pregnant from one encounter. Surely… She didn't even need one of these tests. She would probably start her period and laugh it off rather soon. Still.

"Miss, do you need some help?" Lisa nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so startled. She turned to the older woman, who was looking kindly but inquisitively at her. She realized that she had been standing in the aisle for quite a while, unable to decide if she wanted to confirm something that she was having dark suspicions about.

"No, I'm just fine. I just…" She trailed off miserably, and found her hand reflexively going to her stomach, as if it were already bulging, and Jackson's name was written across her forehead.

"Unsure?" Again, the woman smiled kindly. Lisa couldn't stand it. She grabbed one of the more reliable looking tests quickly, and gave the woman a short smile.

"Just having trouble deciding when test to get. Thank you though." She quickly made her way to the register, feeling as if she were carrying some kind of poison in her hand.

She couldn't be pregnant— not with the child of the man that she had ran from. It wasn't possible.

XXXxxxXXX

He was getting rather sick of 'giving her time'. Jackson was sure that it was nearly time to go and reclaim what was his. He hadn't even meant to give her as long as he had, but through a few well-placed questions, he found that, apparently, a woman needed time to adjust.

One month was plenty enough time, and Jackson was tired of waiting.

He had figured out her location almost instantly after she had left. Did she think that he would have forgotten that he knew where she was running to to begin with? Maybe she thought that since it was such an obvious place, he wouldn't look. He did, and he found her. His first glimpse of Lisa had been a scene that was rather familiar: She was in the kitchen, and it was well after midnight. A plate of eggs was before her, and she was looking at them through tear filled eyes.

He hadn't gone in after her then; no one could possibly doubt his self-control. He had wanted nothing more in that moment than to go in and shake her viciously before packing her off to his house and never letting her leave again. He knew that she would be happy, and he could clearly tell that she was miserable how she was now.

He was further convinced by the way that her eyes seemed to grow more and more hollow as the days went by. She had left for the store, and she was practically shaking. He was going to give her one more night, and then the next evening the whole façade would be over.

There would be no more waiting, for either of them.

XXXxxxXXX

Lisa stood in the bathroom, and her hands were shaking so violently that it was very hard to see the results on the test. She didn't need to see them anymore, because the image was clearly burned into her mind.

Positive.

Lisa was carrying Jackson's child. One time with him, and she was carrying his child.

Pregnant…

She couldn't seemed to bring herself to say the word. She walked out to her room, the test still in her hand. (she was pregnant). What was she going to do now? (she was pregnant). She hadn't planned on anything like this happening to her (She was pregnant). How was she going to eventually return to her job (she was pregnant). And what if Jackson found out that she was… well… pregnant.

Lisa couldn't' believe that she was pregnant.

Looking at the test, she shook her head and threw it into the top of the trash can beside her bed, staring hatefully at the box which confirmed it's results. The box, she laid on the table beside the trash can. She was so tired, she could hardly stand. Taking care to make sure that the blinds were shut, and the door was locked, Lisa curled up onto her bed.

No matter how disbelieving she was, she curled one of her arms tenderly across her stomach.

Lisa had always liked kids.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Whoo, and kudos for everyone who already knew that this was going to happen. Mmm, don't it just leave you wanting to know what Jackson is going to do?

You'll have to wait!

IM ME ON AOL OR YAHOO: (I love it when you IM me) deathsrequiem07

Please review and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you!

Lahhve to the reviewers, and DANCE WATER, DANCE!

Amanda


	22. Chapter 21: Not Yet

AN: Sorry it took me so long to update guys. I've had to test, and I am also making graphics for quite a few people on khinsider. Also, I've had two different Jackson RP's going on right now. Because of this, I haven't updated. Sorry.

However, to make up for it, I'm putting two chapters together, and I won't leave you guys with the evil and satanic cliffy of doom that I had previously planned to manically leave you with. Be happy!

Tee hee, I finally saw Intermission. Cillian is such a babe!

Part 21:

Lisa always seemed to make things entirely too easy for Jackson. Around 6 the next afternoon, she went to the store. He was extremely tempted just to come out and get her then, but he wanted to be waiting for her when she got back. He didn't know why, but it seemed important to him that she knew that he could surprise her.

He broke into the house as easily as if the door were open.

While Lisa was gone, he had no qualms whatsoever about poking around and seeing what was so attractive about this place that it would make her leave him and run here. He went through the kitchen, smirking at the eggshells that he saw in the top of the trashcan. Some things never changed.

After finishing with the kitchen, he made his way into the living room, once more looking around. After that, the only thing left with the bedroom. With a small smirk, he opened the door. Directly to his left was a bathroom. He opened the door and peered in. On the floor was one of Lisa's shirts and a towel. Without thinking, he bent down and picked them up.

Lisa never was that much on picking up after herself. He looked for a few more moments, and then shut the door to the bathroom quietly. He turned and walked to the bed, setting down on it. He laid back, putting his hands behind his head. Lisa had been sleeping in this bed for far too long without him. She needed him just as much as he wanted her. He knew it, and he knew that she knew it.

He turned his head to the left, and the small and satisfied smile that had been curving on his lips froze.

There was a pregnancy test lying on the table beside the bed.

Pregnant?

Jackson's mind flashed back to the last time he had seen Lisa… hollow eyed and heading for the store. Had she been going to buy this test then? And what had it said? What Lisa carrying his child?

Jackson sat up in such a quick movement that, for a moment, his head spun. If the box was still here then… His head turned automatically for the trash can, his previous thought of how Lisa never picked up after herself still fresh on his mind. She wouldn't have taken the trash out, and she wouldn't have taken the time to disguise the test in any way.

Sure enough, there it was, lying on the top of the pile of papers… Jackson couldn't see as to whether it was positive or negative. The hand that was holding the box convulsed slightly, and he tried to force himself to move. He had never planned on… he couldn't possibly…

What child in their right mind would want an Assassination Manager as a father?

Jackson finally forced himself to move. He stood, and looked at the test. He had been expecting it to just tell him the answer, a clear 'positive or negative'. What he saw was a small line. What in the world did that mean? The box in his hand came back to mind, and he turned it over, smoothing the parts that he had crushed. One small red line meant negative…

Jackson's heart thudded quickly in his chest. The line on the box was blue.

Positive.

He sat back on the bed as quickly as he had stood. Keeping the box in one hand, he leaned his forehead against the other. After taking a moment to compose himself, he pushed his hair from his face and stood.

"This is going to change my work schedule for a few months." He muttered, and turned to the door.

Just as he walked into the living room, Lisa Reisert opened the front door. Their eyes met, and Lisa dropped the bag that she had been holding.

xxxxx

Lisa could _not _believe it. Jackson was standing in her living room, looking slightly agitated.

Okay, maybe he looked a little more than slightly agitated. Really, he looked furious. She was so distracted with the look on his face, that she didn't see his hand once more convulse around the box. His eyes flashed quickly to her stomach, and then back to her own.

"Hey Lis."

"Jackson, I—" What was she supposed to say to him? Jackson I'm sorry I left? Somewhere inside, she was. Or, was she supposed to say, 'you bastard, you got be pregnant!' No, she didn't want him knowing that.

"What Lis, got something you want to tell me?" the lucid look that came into his eyes must have been a façade. She saw the lines of anger and aggravation etched easily into the rest of his facial features.

With how she had left him, she knew that he had every right to be angry.

"Lis?" She jerked back into normal thought. He had asked her a question. Did she have something she wanted to tell him? Oh yes. Was she going to do it?

"I don't think so." She said, congratulating herself on the fact that her voice only gave a slight tremor. Perhaps she could get through this after all.

"Damn it Lisa!" He shouted at her suddenly, and she knew she was in trouble. He had never yelled quite like that. His voice sounded almost strangled, and as he advanced towards her, her back thudded against the door, closing it firmly.

Whoops. She had just cut off her escape route.

"What do you want Jackson?" Her voice shook more than just a little this time. He didn't frighten her, but the way that he was walking towards her, and the knowledge that he had every right to throttle her for leaving him like she had… the fact that she knew she _deserved _he be hit for what she had done to him… that frightened her.

"I want you to, for once, not **lie **to me. Is that so much to ask for Lisa?" He was standing directly in front of her. Staring into his blazing eyes, she wanted to do anything but look at them, but she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away.

"I… I'm not lying. What is there to tell you? I left Jackson. What happened before I did—" She couldn't bring herself to say it had been a mistake. It hadn't been. It had been one of the most wonderful experiences in her life, and not only that but…

"Then what in the hell is **_this_**!" He snarled it, bringing the pregnancy test box up and pretty much shoving it into her face.

"Damn." She swore softly under her breath. That was a mistake.

"What, were you just not going to tell me that you were carrying _my _child? Were you just going to forget to mention that little fact to me, and hope that I left before I could figure it out?" The anger in his voice… and something else. If Lisa wasn't mistaken, there was hurt ringing clearly.

"No Jackson, I wasn't going to. I was…" going to do exactly what he had said. She hadn't planned on telling him. She had just wanted to have her baby and never have to think about it again.

"Why are you always lying to me Lisa?"

Her brows shot up, and she fired back at him before she could stop herself. "Why don't you ever lie to me Jackson?"

She thought he was going to hit her when his hand suddenly flew out, but it was surprisingly gentle on her shoulder. He moved her aside, and grabbed the door, opening it.

"Because Lisa, you don't lie to the person you love." The coldness in his voice almost made her miss what he had just confessed.

'The person you love…'

Jackson loved her?

"Jackson, wait! I—"

"Will stay in this house. If you aren't here when I come back Lisa, I swear to you, you'll regret it." With that he walked out of the door, slamming it roughly behind him. For once Lisa knew why Jackson was doing what he did.

"He doesn't want to hurt me…" He hand flew automatically to her stomach. "Hurt us." She looked down. "Your Daddy loves us." Laughter bubbled out of Lisa's lips, so joy filled and amazed. She felt lighter than she had since the day of the flight. Jackson loved her!

She was leaning against the wall, holding her stomach with the stupid smile still on her face when a man stepped in from the kitchen. He must have entered in the other door, because neither Jackson nor her had noticed him.

"So you're the one whose been trying to domesticate Ripper." The mans blue eyes rolled heavenward. "I can't believe that this is going to be so easy."

Apprehension was running through Lisa, and she groped behind her for a weapon. "What's going to be so easy?" Try to keep him talking and distracted.

The man laughed again, taking more steps towards her. She noticed that he had something long in his hand…

"Why, killing you both of course!" He said it as if she was meant to agree. Lisa stood, her eyes looking warily at him.

"Look, I don't think you understand who you're dealing with. Jackson will—"

"Have the pleasure of watching you die. Don't worry Lisa Reisert, you're not going to die." In a sudden movement, the mans hand flew at her, hitting her across the face and knocking her out. He caught her before she hit the ground, and laughed. "Yet."

XXXxxxXXX

AN: Yeah, I made one of the evil cliffys of doom go away just to bring you another. I love it, I LOVE IT! I should have this story finished soon, but tell me, what's going to happen to Lisa? And Jackson? XLaughs evillyx BWAHAHAHAAH!

You'll have to wait until next time to find out!

IM ME ON AOL OR YAHOO: deathsrequiem07

And remember to review, cause reviews are incentive to keep me going!

Total love for you all!


	23. Chapter 22: Very Wrong

AN: Sorry I haven't updated guys. I lost my plan to the rest of this, so I'll just pretty much be going on what I remember that I wanted to happen. I've had Finals, Graphics, and My other Half to distract me. Sorry! Updating now though. I shouldn't have but maybe… two or three or four chapters left! Thanks to everyone who screamed at me for not updating!

Oh and, I don't remember if you guys ever told me… d'you like the idea of me writing a story about Jackson and Crane off of Batman being brothers. I figured out a way to make it work so that it's mainly Jackson oriented. I want to do one with them being brothers, just because (I know it's over used) But I like it. If not, ideas are welcomed :P I love any type of challenging crossovers! WHOO!

Onward with your scheduled update!

Part 22:

Somehow… Lisa didn't panic. She didn't know why, but she was sure it had something to do with the fact that, no matter how furious Jackson had been with her for withholding information… he would be even more furious with this man for taking something that belonged to him. He loved her, and she was his. She finally understood that— She just couldn't believe that she had realized something so important so late.

She still hadn't worried when the man came into the room, nor when he gave her a sickening smile and walked towards her.

"So, you're who Ripper finally took up with?" His eyes were cool and emotionless. "I cannot believe it, after everything that you two have been through, I'm going to be the one to off you." At her shocked look, he smirked. "Oh yes, Reisert, I know who you are. I know all about you, and how you shot him, stabbed him. What did you do, threaten to murder him if he didn't fall in love with you?"

"I—" The slap that turned her head shocked her. She hadn't expected him to physically abuse her any more than he already had. Somewhere deep inside, she still held the view that things like this just didn't happen. When his eyes widened at her shock, and he drew his hand back to hit her again, she realized that she had been wrong.

Very wrong.

XXXxxxXXX

Jackson realized the stupidity of what he had done about four minutes after he had left. Four minutes had been too long. He started to the empty house, his eyes furious. He ran back the space that he had managed to put between himself and Lisa. He arrived just in time to see the taillights of a car pulling away. He didn't even have to check— Lisa wasn't in the house. He was in his car and follow the man before he even thought about it.

Lisa… his child… They were both in danger. No body, and he meant nobody, messed with something that belonged to him… something that he loved.

XXXxxxXXX

Ahem: AN: Yes, I know… MONDO short, but that is because I've suddenly decided… The next chapter is going to be the last before the prologue. After that, the story is over, and if you want more, you'll have to talk me into writing a sequel. Sorry about the delay, and even sorrier about the extremely short update. But I plan on writing the last part (Or at least starting on, it cause it's gonna be rather long) After I get off of the internet tonight. It should be up within 5 days, I swear!

Amandathevampirelove

PLEASE REVIEW! Constructive criticism is welcomed!


	24. Chapter 23: We Can Try Again

Amanda: Guys, I'm so sorry but… yeah. I got distracted again. What with school finally ending, and our house not having an air conditioner so it's like over 90 degrees in here… with one thing and another, I've been distracted to the point where I haven't finished this. Well, now we have an air conditioner, there is no more finals to study for, and I'm all caught up on making graphics. I have virtually nothing to distract me. I'm finishing this sucker today!

Part 23:

Lisa had nearly lost consciousness after the first few close-handed blows, but she knew that there had been much more pain after that. He had kicked, punches, shoved, pushed… he couldn't see anything anymore, and she didn't remember if it was because he had left her in a room with the light off, or if he had done something so irrevocably damaging to her that she had lost her sight. Her brain wasn't letting her remember the worst of the events.

Her hands were curled tightly around her stomach, and she was sobbing. She didn't have to be a genius to realize that any kind of physical damage was bad for the child. The only thing that she could do, and the thing that her body had reflexively done for her, was to curl herself onto her back and take most of the blows to her arms and chest, though her face had not managed to escape a good portion of the bleeding.

Lying cold, bruised, and alone in the floor of a dark room that she had never seen before, Lisa wished for nothing more than Jackson. Jackson would make things right, and Jackson would make this man pay for what he had done.

He wouldn't escape his little adventure alive, and while her body wracked in pain and Lisa worried about her child, that thought was just fine with her.

XXXxxxXXX

Jackson wasn't very far off now. He had watched where the man had taken Lisa, and when he took one of the last turn offs… Jackson knew who it was. He knew who had taken Lisa and his child captive.

Jackson was afraid. He had never expected it to happen like this, for one of his own threats to Lisa's safety to come and bite him like this. He pulled a few necessities out of the back of the car, including a key, and parked a few blocks off. He was headed for the house besides Lisa's….

Luke had taken her. Luke, who had helped to bring him back from the brink of death. Why now? Why like this? Was the fact that he wanted to torture him himself reason enough to ensure his health.

It didn't matter. It was going to be Luke's last mistake.

Jackson already knew exactly what it was that Luke was trying to do. Jackson had pulled this trick a few times himself. You couldn't try to take the master of a specified trick, and try to use it on them. Jackson was the best in the business, and Luke was just an underling. Luke was stupid. He was going to spring his own trap on himself, and he was going to make him pay for every little pain that Lisa had had.

His gut clenched for a moment, and his step quickened slightly. He knew very well what could be happening to Lisa right now. She could be…

All of the feelings that Jackson had been building up leaked away, and he felt the coldness inside of him steel over. He knew that anyone in that house but Lisa was dead… and if Lisa were… if he had…

He would be praying for death long before Jackson could bring himself to give it to him.

XXXxxxXXX

Luke was back, and Lisa was curled into the best defensive position that she could possibly be in to protect her stomach. He was leaned down on his knees, looking at her with bright eyes.

"If Ripper cared about you half as much as you thought he did, hell, half as much as I had assumed he did, don't you think he would have been here to save you already? Don't you think that he would have barged in a tried to play hero?" The disgust on his face was only rivaled by his sick amusement with the whole situation. Lisa was absolutely positive now that Luke was a couple monkeys short of a whole barrel.

"Then what's the point of keeping me here?" She spat out at him, unable to keep her anger at the situation from spilling over. Her fear made her even more edgy, and her hands itched for some kind of object to hit him with… of course, she wasn't sure that her body would work properly, even if she wanted to. The thought of moving in such a quick moment made her ache.

"The point of keeping you here, Lisa, is that I enjoy watching you suffer. I enjoy watching your pain. I think that Jackson will come eventually, and your mangled and beaten body will just enrage him. I need him to be at a disadvantage."

"Because you know you can't win!" She shot it out before she could stop it. "Jackson's the best, and you know it."

Luke's eyes flared with anger. "I know exactly what Ripper is and is not. I know that if I take the right measurements, I can beat him." He took, taking a threatening step towards her. He watched as she clutched her stomach tighter, rolling into a ball. However, his rage was boiling over enough that he was not coherent enough to make the connection over her actions and her relationship with Jackson.

Since she wasn't fist level, he aimed a rough kick at her ribs, and Lisa only managed to roll over in him, so that it landed on her legs more than anything. She let out a pained sound, knowing that that was what he was aiming for. If he hadn't gotten the sound he wanted, she knew that he would just kick her again and again until he was satisfied.

Besides, it hurt.

He looked down at her, and at her twisted position. Something was beginning to click in his brain. A smile spread over his face, and he look down at Lisa, huddled with her back to him.

"Ripper isn't going to save either of you."

Oh God, he knew.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she was just going to deny it, and may then… maybe he wouldn't start aiming blows intentionally at her stomach. Maybe then there would still be something left to save when Jackson came.

Luke smiled wickedly and bent over her, turning her by a shoulder that throbbed in protest. "I'm going to kill you and your child, and I'm going to make Ripper watch. Do you want to know how I'm going to do it?"

The sick leer made her stomach clench tight, and she shook her head. "No, no… please."

"I'm going to—" A sudden sound at the front of the house made him smirk. "That would be Ripper. I'm going to go now, fair Lisa, and save the details for him." He pulled a gun from a holster somewhere beneath his jacket and turned. "He'll never know."

Lisa had a split second where her head and her heart had a fierce argument, but she couldn't help it. She turned so she could draw in a breath and screamed as loudly as her damaged throat would let her. "JACKSON!"

The kick aimed at her stomach sent a pain through Lisa so sharp that she began to wretch. Tears rolled down the side of her cheeks as she clutched tightly at the spot that he had kicked, the spot that she had tried so hard to protect.

She slipped out of consciousness, looking at Luke with rage. Before she blacked out, she spoke softly to Luke. "Jackson's going to kill you for that…"

Blackness swallowed her vision after that.

XXXxxxXXX

Jackson saw Luke enter the room, and he saw the gun before Luke could even assess what was going on. It didn't matter. He had thought that the coldness inside of him was gong to be what carried him through the situation. But it wasn't. Lisa's scream had made something inside of him burn with a rage that he hadn't felt since he had very first started out killing.

Now… he didn't know if Lisa was okay or not. He wanted nothing more than to take Luke's gun and shoot him with it. However, he knew that it was going to be a little more difficult than that.

"Ripper, come out come out wherever you are."

What an idiot…

"I know you're here."

_If you knew that I was here, than wouldn't you be looking behind you?_

Jackson reach out with ease and grabbed Luke's arm. He pulled up sharply, and heard the satisfying _crack _that verified the fact that Luke's arm was broken. The gun went spinning out of his hand, and he let out a cry of pain, spinning at the same time.

"You!"

"What did you think, that I was going to let you shoot me? Did you really that that you were going to get away with this?"

Luke's face twisted in pain and rage, and his eyes flickered from the gun on the floor to Jackson, standing in his way.

"I wouldn't think about it Luke."

His eyes narrowed. 'I've always hated you Ripper. Everything about you, so calm, so efficient. So cold. You don't have any feelings. You can pretend to care about that woman and the child that she carries, but it doesn't matter. You're all dead." An insane grin lit Luke's lips, and something inside of Jackson snapped. His blue eyes iced over cooler than any December sky, and he pulled the knife from his pocket and flipped it open in one smooth movement, diving for Luke.

Luke went for his backup gun with his good hand, and Jackson felt a pain lace his shoulder even before he heard the gunshot. It didn't matter, it wasn't a wound that would kill him unless it went unattending for quite a while. He brought his knife forward and fel tit sink home, as a warm gush of blood poured over his hand. He used his other to sweep the gun from Luke's nearly paralyzed hand.

"You always were one who froze at the first sign of pain." Jackson's eyes narrowed, and he plunged the knife even deeper into Luke's abdomen.

"Ripper—"

Jackson brought the knife up with a quick and practiced jerk, and he felt the scalding rush as the warm fluids and Luke's intestines washed over the floor, along with Luke himself. Jackson went down with him, continuing to drag the knife upward. He ended his little venture by bringing the knife out and slashing Luke's throat, sending another wash of blood over the floor.

He was disappointed. That was entirely to quick a death.

He dropped the knife and turned, running towards the sound of the scream that he had heard. When he was the form lying, crumpled in the floor, he let out a scream of pure rage, and ran to her, already knowing by the blood that he could very well be too late.

XXXxxxXXX

Lisa woke up in a completely unfamiliar room. She wasn't with Luke anymore, and she wasn't in a hospital… so where was she?

She turned her head painfully to one side, and her heart nearly stopped. Jackson was lying sprawled in a chair right beside her bed, one arm actually resting across her stomach. She realized that he was holding her hand.

As soon as she moved, his eyes snapped open. She saw the relief in their depths, and then watched as his gaze slid from her face to her stomach and back again.

"We didn't know if you were going to wake up."

She opened her mouth to speak, and found her throat to dry to form any words. Jackson sat up a little straighter and offered her a glass of water that was sitting beside the bed on the dresser.

"Where am I?" She couldn't bring herself to ask… She already knew.

"One of the organizations that I work with employees doctors to take care of situations where things get out of control like this. I pull a lot of clout around here. You'll be okay." His eyes narrowed, and she saw a fury in them for a moment that scared her. "Luke is dead. They're cleaning up the mess right now." He his turned back to their normal cool blue, but she saw the relief that was still resting behind them. "He's never going to hurt you again. I promise."

Lisa could no longer stand it. The hand that Jackson wasn't holding went over her stomach, and she felt how tender it still was. "The baby?"

For a moment, Jackson didn't speak. His eyes trailed back to her stomach, and she saw the pain shoot through them. "I'm sorry Lis…"

She felt the tears wash down her face before she knew that they were there. She was even more shocked when Jackson's hand came up to wipe them away. "Stop crying Lisa…" He sounded… confused. It was rather obvious that Jackson wasn't used to dealing with weeping females that he couldn't just threaten. He had to be… sweet. If Lisa weren't feeling so much anguish, she would have found the situation funny. As it was, the tears continued to roll down her face.

"Lisa stop." Jackson seemed to be searching his mind for something to say. "Come on, Lisa… we've got the rest of our lives." He was simply stumbling over the words now. "We'll have another one. It'll be okay. We'll be a family."

Lisa was shocked out of her tears. She looked up and him, and spoke in a soft voice. "Was that a proposal?" Had Jackson just said family? As in wife and children… as in… marriage?

Jackson seemed to be as shocked as Lisa was with the whole situation. He hadn't meant to say that… he didn't want a family… he couldn't… he…

Loved Lisa, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Would that make you quit crying?" Now _that _sounded much more like the Jackson that she knew and had grown to love. She saw the coolness residing behind his eyes, and she knew that this wasn't going to be the easiest thing that she had ever done in her life. Jackson was not a changed man… Jackson was just, well… Jackson.

Who she loved.

The grief was still washing over her heavily, but Lisa was beginning to see a happy ending to it.

"I think it would." She still spoke in her calm and quite voice, afraid that he was going to laugh at her and say that it was all just some sick joke.

The look on Jackson's face… he seemed to be steeling himself for something. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "I want you to understand, this won't affect what I do for a living."

"I know."

"And you'll probably have to, at some point or another, help me."

"Okay."

"You're okay with that?" He seemed shocked.

"I think I could be, as long as you make me a promise."

He knew it, she was going to ruin it now. "And what would that be."

"You won't take on any jobs where kids are involved."

He smirked. He had planned on that anyways. Something about this whole experience had made it seem distasteful as well as… well… wrong.

"Alright."

She looked up at him, her eyes slightly wide. "Alright." Jackson sat there for a moment before he realized that she was expecting something. It took him a few more moments to realize exactly what it was.

_Ugh… Women! Always had to do it the hard way._

"I would go down on one knee, but then you couldn't see me so…" He took her hand, and looked at her with just a tinge of a smile in his eyes. Perhaps he wasn't changed completely, but there was something in there… the man that she had seen first at the airport.

"Yes?"

He rolled his eyes, as if her persistence were getting on his nerves, but the smile widened slightly. "Will you marry me?"

She couldn't help it, another tear slid from her eye. "Yes!" She was agreeing to marry an assassination manager. Her father would kill her.

The smile that had been forming on Jackson's face spread full fledged now, and Lisa realized that it was all worth it. "Jackson, I love you."

She saw the smile falter, and an even more satisfied look come onto his eyes. He had been waiting for that…

"I know you do."

He saw Lisa's eyes narrow, and she began to open her mouth to say something, so he added quickly, but truthfully. "I love you too Lis." Her mouth closed, and a smile spread over her face as well. _She _had been waiting for that.

XXXxxxXXX

AN: OMG! That's it! The end! No more! I'm so pleased with that! Did I handle the proposal well? I would hate to have gotten him out of character at the very end. Though, I think the death of his child can lighten him up slightly!

Anyways, if you want a sequel, you better bug me for it, and if you have any ideas, please share! If you want me to do something different to this chapter, please tell me! LOVE THE REVIEWS! (And the constructive critisism) So, do you think I eneded it okay? –lip trembles- I'm so sad, I don't have this to write on anymore! Now what am I going to do? (Write another one…)

deathsrequiem07 -- IM ME ON AOL OR YAHOO WITH THAT NAME!

Amandathevampirelove

OH I'm SO SAD! MY STORY IF OVER! WAHHHH!


	25. The Hard Way: Prologue

The Hard Way: Prologue

"And you'll probably have to, at some point or another, help me."

Lisa remembered when Jackson had said those very words to her. She rolled over in bed now, looking at her husband. They had been married for only two months. Her father was, to say the least, adverse to her decision… but she was happy.

Just now, Jackson looked innocent— sleep was the only time that such a look came over his face.

When he had told her she was going to have to help him, she hadn't thought that the occasion would rise so quickly. As it was, she was completely and utterly nerve wrecked about it.

What could Jackson possibly want that would involve her helping him?

XXX

AN: XD Who wants a Sequel? This could very easily be the start of one!!! YAY SEQUEL!!!! IT will be entitled 'The Hard Way' and added to this story for simple ease in upkeep. If you like the start/the idea of me making a sequel, raise your hands XD And I'll totally do it!

Email me at deathsrequiem07 on my yahoo account if you want to. PLEASE leave a review and tell me if you like the idea!!!


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